Rift
by LuckE1
Summary: After an encounter with a villain, Shouto finds himself thrown into an alternate universe, which ends up being more dangerous than he imagined. With the help of his new friends, he desperately tries to get back to his world while avoiding some threatening new enemies along the way.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

* * *

Third year, Shouto heard, was supposed to be a fun and exciting year.

It was the year that they would actually be allowed to go out on their own and participate in low-level missions, which basically meant capturing a purse-snatcher here and there. But class 3-A didn't really care how "boring" these missions seemed. They were ready to show their skills to the world and become real heroes.

For their patrols, the students were divided into groups—the groups being different every time. The first few patrols had Shouto grouped with Bakugou, which wasn't a problem. The boy had mellowed out over the years, but he was still the hot-headed hero-in-training that he'd always been. Bakugou had almost literally exploded with rage when the first patrol ended in him rescuing some girl's cat from a tree, while another group got to stop a bank robbery.

_"This was because I got paired with your stupid ass, half-and-half! I told you we should've gone down that road!"_

Shouto thought he would never hear the end of it.

So when the next patrol came up, and the groups were assigned, Shouto was delighted to discover that he had been grouped with Izuku. Izuku, who Shouto considered his best friend, was beyond ecstatic, and he met Shouto's eyes with that dazzling smile of his.

So, that afternoon, along with Uraraka and Iida, their group began their patrol.

"This is pretty exciting! The four of us haven't been in a group together before!" Uraraka commented, pumping her fists.

"Indeed! I believe the four of us could make a good team," Iida said, moving his one hand upward in a chopping motion.

Shouto's stomach felt queasy at the implication. He thought he could be a good teammate, but he felt unsure about it.

He had been raised to conquer his demons alone, after all.

But then, Izuku smiled in that typical way of his, the one that even makes Shouto's lip curl up.

"Our quirks definitely can be used together! Maybe we should come up with a strategy for different situations, especially if a bigger attack comes, and then Iida could use his—"

"Deku, you're doing it again," Uraraka interrupted.

Izuku sputtered and then rubbed the back of his neck, smiling shyly.

"Sorry! I was just excited," Izuku explained.

Shouto smiled at that, soft and genuine. "Yeah, I am, too."

"Oh?" Izuku asked, whipping his head to look at Shouto. "You, too?"

"Mmn," Shouto hummed. "I've been grouped with Bakugou most of the time, so…"

Izuku chuckled. "Ah, Kacchan…"

"That can get a little draining," Uraraka said with a small smile of her own.

"I suppose his outbursts haven't calmed?" Iida asked, adjusting his glasses slightly.

"Not at all," Shouto answered. "He doesn't like working with others that much."

"He hasn't really changed," Izuku commented.

Shouto glanced over at him, taking in his calm expression as he spoke.

Now that he thought about it, several of his classmates had stayed relatively the same.

There were obvious jumps in height as they all gained muscle mass, Shouto included, but he still managed to be taller than Izuku. Izuku's hair remained relatively the same, maybe even a bit poofier, if that was possible, while Shouto's hair was shorter, a neat and clean shave on his nape.

Iida grew taller, towering over his class as usual, and Uraraka, bless her, stayed pretty much the same. Although, her hair grew out just a bit and her features became more mature.

While their physical attributes changed with their age, the core of their personalities remained the same.

Shouto was grateful that his heart had unthawed years ago so he could enjoy the friendships he had created.

But… something was still bothering him.

As the three of them talked harmoniously, Shouto couldn't help but feel a slight tug on his heart. The three were a perfect fit, a great group of friends. They could easily work together in a professional agency someday.

But what about Shouto?

With their professional careers right around the corner, several of his classmates had started to think about what agencies to join. A lot of them wanted to go into different agencies together so they could work together as a team.

If Shouto had it his way, he would've liked to team up with Izuku somewhere. But whenever he found even a sliver of courage to mention it, Izuku would be bombarded by other classmates about the same subject.

That, along with his persistent thoughts of his poor teamwork skills, were enough for Shouto to give up in his pursuit of a future with Izuku on his team, and it pushed him further into making the decision to work alone.

So, for now, Shouto would partake the company of his friends in one of their last team exercises. He wanted to enjoy every last minute he had with them before he had to be alone again.

"Well, should we come up with a plan?" Izuku asked, his hands on his hips.

The other three nodded, all determined. Shouto could feel the butterflies in his stomach. To do a patrol with Izuku was something he had been looking forward to for a while.

But then again…

Should Shouto even work with them? Was he even meant to work in a partnership with anyone?

_"Get up!"_

_"You must be the one to surpass All Might. You!"_

_"Don't you hear me, Shouto? You can't rely on anyone else!"_

Shouto closed his eyes and breathed out slowly, ridding his mind of the voice from his past. His father did not think that way anymore. It was time he moved on, as well.

"Okay, so what if…"

Izuku began to rattle off a plan of action, which included something about Uraraka scanning the city by the rooftops. But Shouto's gaze was snagged by a ratty van that had pulled to a stop by one of the higher end apartment complexes.

Shouto quirked a brow and watched as four figures stepped outside of the van and entered in through the front of the apartments. They looked harmless, but something about them was making the hair on his arms stand. Tingles ran down his spine at the sight. There was a woman with them. Her sharp eyes and dark, purple hair seemed ominous.

"—outo? Hey, Shouto?"

Shouto blinked back into reality and turned to see worried green eyes staring at him.

"You okay? You spaced out there," Izuku said.

Shouto nodded once, his eyes still flitting back towards the apartment complex.

"Yeah, just…" Shouto paused, finally tearing his gaze away from the building. "It's nothing."

Uraraka and Iida seemed satisfied with his answer, but Izuku, perceptive to a fault, gave him one last skeptical look before he turned to the rest of the group. He began to point out directions for all of them to take.

"We'll meet back up here in 30 minutes. Sound good?" Izuku asked, looking around at the group.

"Got it," Uraraka said.

"Sounds like a decent plan," Iida commented, moving to place his helmet on his head.

Shouto nodded, which placated Izuku's skepticism from earlier, and he smiled at all of them.

"Great! Keep your earpieces on," Izuku said.

Uraraka and Iida agreed and turned them on before walking off in one direction, both chatting amicably. Shouto watched them leave, vaguely wondering if he would get to do this again in the future.

Would he be able to work with these guys in the future?

Would they all still be friends?

Would they all be safe?

"Hey."

A careful hand on Shouto's shoulder gently pulled him out of his thoughts as he looked to Izuku standing next to him.

"You sure you're okay?" Izuku asked.

Ah, there was nothing to worry about, Shouto thought as he felt his shoulders relax instantly.

They were a team.

He could still hope for that in the future.

Right?

"Yeah," Shouto said, shaking his head. "It's nothing really."

Izuku hesitated for a moment before nodding, and the two of them started to walk down the street, keeping a casual pace.

"So… I heard that you haven't picked an agency to work in yet," Izuku said.

Shouto's lips twisted into a grimace for a split second before he schooled his expression. This was the last thing he wanted to discuss, especially with Izuku of all people.

"Yeah. I haven't decided what I'm doing," Shouto answered.

"Do you plan to work with a team?" Izuku asked. "A lot of our classmates are interested in the new idea."

Shouto bit his lip and glanced away. "I don't know if it's a good fit for me."

"What?" Izuku asked, his feet stuttering to a stop. Shouto also stopped and looked at Izuku's distressed face. "What do you mean by that?"

Shouto sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I just don't think I could work well enough with a team. Our classmates, you… You guys are more suited for that."

"I can't accept that," Izuku said, shaking his head. "You would be great on a team, Shouto."

Shouto hesitated, his eyes desperate to look at anything except Izuku's face. The nearby bench looked interesting.

He said nothing, his mind filling with the echoes of his father's voice. It was a rarity for him to shut down nowadays. He had trouble with zoning out and having flashbacks during his first year, to which several of his classmates noticed. But as time went on, they became less and less frequent.

He thought he had control over this.

"I was… actually going to ask you if you wanted to join me once we graduated."

Shouto's eyes snapped back to Izuku, wide and disbelieving.

"Me?" he asked. "You want me to join you?"

"Yeah," Izuku said, his face splitting into a small smile. "With All Might's help, I'm actually starting my own agency. And we'll need a lot of fresh heroes."

He rubbed the back of his head, ruffling up his green curls. His smile grew more timid as he spoke, a nervous habit of his.

"I've already asked a bunch of others if they wanted to join, but I'd really like it if you were on a team with me," Izuku said. "What do you say?"

Shouto hesitated again, his arms folding across his chest. He could still hear the voices of his past bouncing around his mind, but Izuku's offer was making his chest flutter. Would his father really be okay with him being in a team with someone?

"All right, how about this," Izuku said, pulling Shouto out of the depths of his mind. When he looked up at Izuku, he had a cheeky smile on his face. "Why don't we make a bet?"

Shouto quirked a brow. "A bet?"

"Yep!" Izuku said. "If I win the bet, then you have to join my agency."

"Izuku…" Shouto said, exasperated by his persistence.

"If you win, then you can join whichever agency you want," Izuku said. "And I'll stop pestering you about it."

Shouto winced at the implications. If he shook on it, then there was no turning back. And Shouto was not someone who went back on a promise.

"Fine," Shouto said with a sigh, which made Izuku beam with excitement. He seemed determined to win, which sparked Shouto's inner competitiveness. "So what's the bet?"

Izuku's lips pulled into a crooked smile as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Whoever comes out with the least amount of injuries wins," Izuku said.

Shouto quirked a brow. "You're really going to bet that? You're the king of injuries."

"Hey! Is that a jab at my first-year?" Izuku whined.

"You injured yourself plenty last year, too," Shouto commented.

Izuku pouted, folding his arms across his chest. But after a moment, he looked up at Shouto with a determined glee in his eye.

"You afraid you'll lose?" Izuku teased.

Shouto's back went rigid. "I'm not afraid of a bet."

"Then it's settled!" Izuku said. He put out his hand for Shouto to take. "If I win, you join me. If you win, I let you go. Sounds like a bet?"

Shouto paused for a moment, staring at Izuku's hand as if it were a trap. But he took a deep breath and took Izuku's hand.

"You're on."

* * *

Once 30 minutes had past, the team regrouped in their initial spot near the high-end apartment complexes. Shouto spotted the worn-down van still sitting in the same spot as earlier, and he felt his stomach clench uncomfortably. There was something still wrong about the whole thing.

And why did that woman look so familiar?

"Anything on your end?" Uraraka asked Izuku.

"Nothing. It seems like it'll be a quiet day," Izuku said, glancing to Shouto with a sad smile. "Guess our bet is off, huh?"

"Bet?" Uraraka echoed.

"Are you two placing bets again?" Iida asked, his brow rising in suspicion. "Gambling is a really terrible habit, you know."

"Oh, it's not a big deal!" Izuku convinced, waving his hands in the air.

Shouto smiled as Izuku tried sputtering his way out of it, both Iida and Uraraka staring at him and pummeling him with questions.

Would they really be able to bond like this when they graduate?

Shouto's chest felt warm at the thought. He would love to be able to spend each and every day with these friends that he had made over the years. He wouldn't even mind Bakugou's presence every once in a while. He owed Izuku everything for changing his heart so many years ago.

Maybe he really could work on a team…

_SLAM!_

Shouto blinked out of his reverie and turned around, his eyes gazing at the luxury apartments.

Two of the suspicious people from earlier were back at the van, taking something out of the back and slamming the doors shut. Once it was closed, they hurried back into the building in a light sprint.

Shouto's heart was fluttering in his chest, that warm feeling now replaced by ice-cold alarm.

Something wasn't right…

He waited with bated breath, his hands in tight fists by his sides. Another minute passed and the air was still calm.

Was he just imagining it? Was his gut instinct wrong?

"Shouto?"

Shouto nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard his name, and he turned back around to face the rest of his team. They were all staring at him with curious expressions, Izuku's head cocked to the side.

"What's up?" Uraraka asked.

"Yes, you've been a little spacey the last few moments," Iida chirped.

Izuku looked up at him in worry. "You sure you're okay?"

Shouto took a deep breath through his nose. He was worrying his teammates without any real preamble. He had no evidence that those strangers were up to evil activity. He needed to relax.

"Yeah," Shouto assured. "Just looking at something."

The other three relaxed slightly, smiles coming back to their faces, and Izuku placed his hands on his hips.

"Well, I'm just glad that—"

Suddenly, a loud explosion tore through the city, sending billowing smoke up into the bright sky.

The four of them whirled around towards the source, and Shouto's eyes widened upon seeing that the same apartment complex from earlier now had a gaping hole in the top floor.

"Over there!" Shouto pointed.

"Let's go! There might be some injured people!" Izuku called.

The other three nodded and hurried towards the scene behind Izuku. One they arrived at in front of the complex, they surveyed the damage, noticing that a fire had started.

"We need to start getting people out before the fire spreads!" Izuku said.

"You three go. I'll try to put out the fires," Shouto said, summoning his ice to cover his hand.

Izuku nodded and moved his mask to cover his nose and mouth. He gestured for Iida and Uraraka to follow, and the three of them disappeared into the building.

Shouto knelt down and touched the ground beneath his feet, quickly creating ice tower that lifted him off of the ground and up towards the top of the building. Once he was at the right floor, he hopped inside through the hole.

The smoke was thick, and he had to cough a few times to expel it from his lungs. He covered his nose and mouth with his left arm as he used his right to extinguish the flames that were eating away at the walls.

It was strange, Shouto noticed as he went further into the apartment, that the explosion was contained in only this one room.

But what caused this explosion in the first place? A gas leak?

Or was it…

A sudden movement caught Shouto's eye, and he turned his gaze towards the doorway of the apartment.

Standing in the doorway was a woman, her back facing him. A woman with dark purple hair.

And she was carrying a steel briefcase in her hands.

"Hey!" Shouto called out.

The woman startled and turned around, her eyes blowing wide. Then, she took off out the door, the briefcase still in her grasp.

"Stop right there!" Shouto called, making to sprint after her.

Just as he was about to enter the complex hallway, a giant fist collided with his body, sending him flying backwards. His body tore through several walls before he was suddenly met with a blue sky.

Ah, Shouto realized, he was falling to the ground below. He needed to catch himself before his body splattered on the concrete. He reached out his right hand to try and summon an ice slide, but the ground was coming too quickly. He closed his eyes, bracing for impact.

Suddenly, he felt a pair of hands on him, one arm wrapping around his shoulders while the other held him underneath his thighs. He snapped his eyes open to see Izuku's freckled cheek, his green eyes determined and worried.

They landed on the ground carefully, and Izuku tilted downwards to allow Shouto to stand on his feet. But Izuku's hand didn't leave his back, his gaze looking him over for any injuries.

"You okay?" Izuku asked, Iida and Uraraka hurrying by their sides.

Shouto nodded, his hand coming up to rub his sore side from when the giant fist nailed him. It reminded him a lot of Kendo's quirk, but the fist felt firmer, or as if it was made out of steel.

"There are villains up there," Shouto said. "We need to follow them before they—"

Before Shouto could finish his sentence, an explosion rattled right next to their feet. Shouto put up an ice wall to shield his friends from the blast. The wall was broken quickly by another blast, and two villains jumped through to start their attacks.

"Get back!" Izuku said, mustering up his quirk to fire at them. He swung his fist forward, causing wind to push at the two villains. It knocked them back into the ice wall, shattering it to pieces.

After the ice barricade was destroyed, Shouto could see the two other villains trying to run to the van that was parked on the street. One of them was the woman who was carrying the briefcase. He slammed his foot down on the road, creating an ice path that froze the van solid, making it impenetrable.

Once the two villains discovered that their way of escape was now gone, they took off down the street in an attempt to escape.

"Izuku!" Shouto called, pointing after the villains.

Izuku glanced down the street and then back at him. "Shouto, let's go after them. Uraraka and Iida, detain these two villains and call Aizawa-sensei!"

"Got it!" Uraraka said.

"Be careful, you two!" Iida called after them.

"We will!" Izuku hollered over his shoulder.

The two of them took off, Izuku sprinting ahead by using his quirk while Shouto tried to use his ice to slide along the sidewalks.

The villains turned down one narrow alleyway, and Izuku and Shouto followed after them. Once they reached the end of alleyway, Izuku and Shouto knew that it was over.

"All right, stay right where you are," Izuku said. "You've done enough damage to our city. Just come quietly and we won't have to fight."

The woman gave him a frustrated glare and hugged the briefcase to her chest. The villain next to her stood ready, his hands moving up into fists in front of his face. His hands suddenly formed into jagged spikes, almost like two maces.

Izuku and Shouto exchanged looks before both of them lunged forward. They both went after the one villain, both of them avoiding his sharp spikes as he tried to force them both back. Shouto tried using his flames, but his hands suddenly hardened to steel, taking the heat without damage.

"Damn it," Shouto said, putting out his flames.

"I'll try using my quirk to capture him," Izuku said, starting to summon one of his many jack-of-all trade quirks. "You distract him while I get it ready."

Shouto nodded, and moved to a position where the villain would have his eyes only on him. He summoned his ice and tried to hurl spikes at him, but the villain managed to smash them before they hit. He glanced over to Izuku and saw that he was ready, and Shouto jumped back before Izuku could grab the villain with his black quirk.

The villain struggled against Izuku's hold, and Shouto made quick work to trap the villain in a coating of ice, sticking him to the ground.

Izuku released his quirk and fell to his knees, panting. But he smiled up at Shouto, giving him a thumbs-up.

"We got one!" Izuku said through his pants.

Shouto smiled and nodded, turning his gaze around the alley. It was empty now, which meant that the woman must've found a way to escape. He frowned at the sight, looking every direction for a ladder or something.

"Now we need to find the other," Izuku said, struggling to his feet. "Where did she go, anyway?"

Shouto shook his head, just as confused by the situation as Izuku.

"We need to find her," Shouto said. "She was carrying something, and she looked dangerous."

Izuku nodded. "Don't worry, we'll go into the city and look."

Shouto nodded, turning back to face him. He opened his mouth to answer but his voice died in his throat.

Standing behind Izuku was the woman, and she had her hand extended towards his head, a purplish smoke coming from her fingers.

"Izuku, get down!" Shouto yelled, lunging towards him.

He grabbed Izuku by his collar and pulled Izuku out of the way, shoving him to the ground, and the woman's fingers were suddenly touching his head, her nails digging into his scalp.

A sudden pain erupted in his entire body, making him feel sick to his stomach. He felt lightheaded, almost as if he was drugged.

What was this quirk?

"Leave him alone!"

And suddenly, the woman was knocked away from Shouto, her fingers leaving his head. But as she was pushed away, she whispered softly under her breath, "Go."

Shouto gasped as he started to fall backwards, his vision going dark. His back hit the cold ground painfully, but he could barely feel it with how numb he was becoming.

Ah, he thought third year was supposed to be fun…

"Shouto?! Are you okay? What's wrong?!"

He could hear Izuku's frantic voice hovering over him, feel his hands holding his shoulders.

Was Izuku always this gentle?

"Hey, stay with me! Don't close your eyes, Shouto!"

Oh. He was worried.

He didn't want to make Izuku worried.

But he was getting so tired…

"Shouto!"

Shouto's eyes slipped shut before he could help it.

Ah, shoot, he thought as his consciousness slipped away.

He just lost the bet.

* * *

A dark, cloudy sky greeted him when he awoke.

Shouto blinked a few times as his groggy eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness. His body felt heavier than usual, as if he was sinking into the pavement. It was like his veins were full of lead.

As he slowly sat up, his head swam with a nauseating dizziness that almost made him heave. He clutched his head and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to keep the bile from crawling up his throat. Once his stomach and head finally settled, he opened his eyes and found himself sitting in the middle of the darkened street.

_How long was I out?_ Shouto asked himself. He pushed himself to his feet, stumbled a bit like a newborn deer, and then he glanced around.

The city was a mess. Glass and debris littered the abandoned streets, and there was a stray fire in the distance. There were no cars driving along the streets and neither were there pedestrians on the sidewalks. It was odd, and it put Shouto on high alert.

Was there a major attack that caused this while he was out? What about…

_Izuku._

Shouto scrambled for his phone in his pocket and yanked it out. When he turned on the screen, his eyes widened in surprise.

Instead of finding a picture of his friends on his background, only the words "No signal" popped up on his screen.

_That's weird,_ Shouto thought, pocketing his phone. He took a deep breath and brought his hands up to cup by his mouth.

"Izuku!" Shouto called. "Iida! Uraraka!"

His voice echoed against the buildings but there was no response. He clicked his tongue and began walking, hoping to run across a familiar face and get an explanation on what the hell was going on.

_Please be okay,_ Shouto thought, his heart squeezing in his chest.

He just got these friends, for crying out loud. He didn't want to lose them.

Shouto turned at the corner and nearly stopped in surprise. At the end of the street were a few police cars, their lights flashing. The police officers were standing around their cars with heavy equipment on and intimidating guns. They almost looked like a swat team.

Something bad must've happened for them to be out on the street.

Shouto quickened his pace to reach them, his hand reaching up to wave.

"Um, excuse me," Shouto called.

One police officer turned towards him and eyed him skeptically, but he kept his gun at his side.

"I'm looking for my friends. We're third-years at UA," Shouto said.

The man quirked a brow. "UA?"

Shouto blinked, a little startled for a moment, but he reached into his back pocket for his hero license. He lifted it up and showed the police officer the license.

"Yes. We're heroes-in-training there. We got separated, and I was wondering if you've might've seen them," Shouto said.

The man leaned forward and read over the license for a moment before jolting backward, his eyes flying wide as he stared at Shouto.

"Wait a minute. Hero? Do you have a quirk?" the officer asked.

Shouto put his license back in pocket, his hand shaking a bit. Something about his question made him go on the alert.

"Yes," Shouto answered. "Like I said, I—"

Suddenly, the officer whipped up his gun and aimed it at Shouto's head. Shouto stared at the barrel in shock.

"Come quietly and I won't have to shoot you," he threatened.

Shouto stepped backward, his heart beginning to hammer in his chest.

"What?" Shouto asked. "Why am I under arrest? What have I done wrong?"

"Shut up!" the officer yelled, lifting up his gun higher. He turned to his other men. "We've got one with a quirk here!"

"What?"

"Here?"

"This place has been abandoned! Where did he come from?"

"Are you sure?"

Shouto watched their exchanges for a moment. Something definitely wasn't right. He needed to get out of here and clear his head before things got crazy. He wasn't going to figure anything out if he was stuck in a jail cell.

He took a step backward and started to turn, ready to leave just as quietly as he arrived, but the officer hailed him again.

"Just where do you think you're going?" he barked.

Shouto swallowed, taking a few steps backwards. "I don't want any trouble."

"Surrender yourself now!" the police yelled.

Shouto took another step back, his gaze eyeing the alleyway nearby. If he could make a run for it, he could easily escape through there.

"All right, punk! You asked for it!"

There was a click of the gun, and then suddenly shots were fired.

Shouto summoned a tall ice wall that stopped him from being hit. But when he saw the size of the bullets embedded into the ice, he startled. The rounds were _huge_.

Were they normal bullets?

"Apprehend him!"

Shouto startled and turned, sprinting towards the alleyway. He heard shots being fired behind him, and he ducked his head to try to avoid them. Some of the shots ricocheted off of the surrounding buildings, destroying the brick in the process.

He was nearly to the edge of the alley when another shot clapped into the sky, and suddenly, it felt as if someone had punched him in the back of his right shoulder, causing him to fall forward onto the ground. His shoulder stung and burned with a sharp pain that sent tingles down his arm.

Shouto craned his neck over his shoulder to assess the damage and was startled to find a large dart embedded into his flesh. These weren't bullets at all. Were they tranquilizers? He didn't feel woozy at least…

With great strain, Shouto reached behind him and grabbed the dart, yanking hard until it ripped from his shoulder, taking a chunk of flesh with it. He groaned in agony as he threw the dart away, his shoulder beginning to pour blood from the hole in his back.

"Don't let him get away!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Shouto saw the police running after him. He scrambled to his feet and took off into the alleyway. He ran until he reached a dead-end, and he whirled around to see five men approaching him, all with their guns drawn.

"Stand down or I'll be forced to shoot you again!"

Shouto stood ready, lifting up his right hand despite the pain in his shoulder, and summoned his ice.

But instead of an ice wall to create a barrier in between himself, nothing happened.

He tried again, lifting up his arm to create a wall. But once again, nothing happened.

Shouto felt panic grow in his chest as he glanced down at his hands. What in the world was going on? Why couldn't he summon his quirk?!

"All right, nice and easy punk!"

The police started to approach him, guns still drawn. Shouto stepped backwards but he tripped over his feet and fell backwards, landing hard on his shoulder. The pain sent a wave of dizziness to his brain, making the police officers' bodies fuzzy and distorted.

"All right, pal. Time to go," one of them said.

"No…" Shouto put out his hand, trying to get the swirling figures to back off.

He didn't have time for this. He needed to find his teachers, his advisors, and get back to school.

He needed to find his friends and figure out what the hell was going on.

_Iida, Uraraka, Izuku…_ Shouto thought as the figures got closer. _Where the hell are you guys?_

Suddenly, a figure leapt down from above and landed in between Shouto and the officers in front of him. Shouto peered up at the figure, only making out the black jacket they were wearing. And although they were short, their broad back made them look taller. Who was this guy?

Before the officers could even react, the man lunged forward, kicking the gun out of the hands of the first officer. He made quick work of subduing him, knocking the wind out of him as he slammed him gut-down into the pavement.

The other officers reeled back in shock, all of them aiming their guns towards the mysterious man, but he ducked, using his shorter stature to dodge any bullets or darts that came his way.

In a flash, he managed to get in a swift kick to one of the officer's sides. When he stumbled, he grabbed the officer by his collar and yanked him to the side, causing him to knock heads with another fellow officer. Both of them fell to the ground, unconscious.

With the remaining two officers, the man lunged forward and swept at their legs, making them stumble and fall. The man grabbed a gun and used the butt to slam into each of their temples.

Shouto's breaths shook in shock as he stared at the man's back, watching as he threw the gun to the side. He turned his head slightly, but it was too dark for Shouto to see his face.

"W-Who… Who are you?" Shouto called out, pushing himself up onto his elbows.

The man startled and gasped, whipping around fully. He hesitated, his breaths coming in short. The man took slow, tentative steps towards Shouto, his hands outstretched carefully.

"It can't be…"

Shouto inhaled sharply at the man's voice.

As the man got closer, Shouto could make out the distinct freckles that splashed over tan cheeks, and the bright green colors of his eyes. His dark hair wasn't as poofy as it had been before, but instead was sporting a slight undercut that reduced its shape. But it was still the same green-ish color that Shouto had remembered.

"Izuku?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

* * *

"Izuku?"

The person in front of him—Izuku, he presumed—was staring down at Shouto with wide, green eyes and a slacked jaw.

He didn't look any older, but with the dirt on his face and his tattered clothes, he certainly looked more rugged and worn. It was as if he had been through hell and back, and Shouto vaguely wondered if he had been knocked out for longer than he thought.

"T-Todoroki?" Izuku squeaked out.

Shouto felt a jab to his heart at hearing his family name on his friend's tongue instead of his first name, but he swallowed it down. He tried pushing himself to his feet, but his shoulder ached and he slid back down to the ground. He gripped at it and hissed in pain, and seriously, what the hell was in that dart?!

"Here."

Shouto looked up and saw a hand extended down to him, Izuku still eyeing him carefully. Shouto reached up and grabbed Izuku's hand, allowing himself to be tugged onto his feet.

"We're not safe here," Izuku said, looking around. He nodded towards the edge of the alleyway and hurried to it. "Come with me."

"Huh?" Shouto called, his hand coming up to rest on his aching shoulder.

"This way!" Izuku called, gesturing around the corner. "More are coming! We've got to get to a safer place!"

Shouto grit his teeth and swallowed his pain down. He'll have to ask questions later.

He hurried after Izuku as quickly as he could, trying not to stumble over his feet as they darted around another corner and ran down the street. Izuku wasn't as fast as he normally was. It seemed that he wasn't using his quirk to gain speed. Perhaps he wanted to make sure Shouto could keep up?

They ducked into an abandoned building, and Izuku shut the door behind them and locked it. They hid away from the windows and waited in silence as police cars rushed by, their sirens screaming as they passed.

Once it was silent, Shouto felt like he could finally breathe again. He slumped a little and then took a deep breath, trying to sort out his thoughts. He turned around to face Izuku once he felt that his head was properly on his shoulders.

"Okay. So what's going on—"

Suddenly, Shouto was slammed against the nearby wall, an arm pressing hard on his chest. He glanced down and saw none other than Izuku pinning him to the cold wall, his eyes flashing.

"I-Izuku," Shouto gasped, his eyes meet Izuku's. "What are you doing?"

With his other hand, Izuku whipped out a knife and pressed the blade to Shouto's neck, making the latter freeze on the spot.

"Enough with pleasantries. Who the _hell_ are you?" Izuku growled.

"What are you talking about?" Shouto pressed himself against the wall and eyed the blade in Izuku's hand. "It's me, Izuku. I'm Shouto. Todoroki Shouto."

Izuku's eyes flashed with familiarity, and a hint of something else—pain, perhaps? Whatever it was, it was gone in a flash, and cold anger replaced it.

"Liar!" Izuku yelled, pushing him harder into the wall. Shouto groaned with the pain in his back from the dart. It was probably still bleeding, which certainly didn't help him stay alert. "Todoroki was taken years ago! I was there when I tried to rescue him! He's—"

Izuku's voice choked, his eyes watering for a moment. He blinked rapidly and shook his head, focusing back on his original task of glaring at Shouto.

"Anyway. The Todoroki I know has longer hair, and he didn't have that strange scar on his face!" Izuku said, and Shouto felt his heart pang with an unfamiliar feeling of betrayal.

"Izuku, you _know_ how I got this scar," Shouto said, his voice wobbling slightly. "You're the only person I've told—"

"Stop acting so familiar! You _can't _be him! You have to be an imposter!" Izuku shouted. He pushed against Shouto's chest painfully, Shouto letting out a soft grunt. "So tell me what you're doing here. What do you want?"

Shouto tried to inhale as much oxygen as he could despite Izuku's strength against his chest.

"I was looking for you," Shouto grunted out. "We were… ugh… fighting a villain, and I think I passed out. But we got separated somehow."

Izuku's brow rose, but his fierce look remained plastered on his face. "A villain?"

"Yes," Shouto hissed out. He was starting to get lightheaded. Was he still losing blood? "I was looking for you so we could get back to UA as quickly as possible."

Izuku flinched, his glare falling. "UA?"

"And… ugh… Aizawa-sensei is going to skin us alive if we don't report to him on time," Shouto said.

"Aizawa…?" Izuku said, shaking his head.

Shouto ignored Izuku's confusion. "So I have to get back to UA so—"

"UA was torn down years ago."

Shouto's whole world screeched to a sudden halt. It was a type of mental whiplash that almost made him nauseous.

"W-What?" Shouto asked, his body becoming frighteningly still.

Izuku's brows scrunched skeptically. "UA doesn't exist anymore. The government tore it down years ago."

_Years ago?_

Shouto reached up and grabbed Izuku's wrist, suddenly feeling himself tremble.

"No. That can't be right," Shouto said. "W-What year is it?"

Izuku paused, almost looking at him like he was insane. But he rattled off the year, and Shouto's jaw fell open when it was the same year.

"No, that's… No, I just came from there this morning," Shouto said. "It shouldn't have been torn down. That's not possible."

"But it is," Izuku said, his voice gentler. "It was destroyed when I was a kid. It was back when the hero system was abolished."

"Abolished?" Shouto echoed, shaking his head. "No, that's… I…"

"Many years ago, heroes were banned from coming into existence, and the hero agencies were abolished," Izuku explained. "Don't you know this?"

"What?" Shouto asked. "But what about the villains? Who stops them?"

"There are no villains."

"That's not possible."

Izuku stared at him for a moment, his gaze rapidly changing from confused to concerned, his green eyes shining in the dim light from the street. He slowly let go of Shouto, his arms falling to his sides. Shouto reached up and grabbed at his shoulder, hissing when he pulled it away from the wall.

"You don't have a clue what's going on, do you?" Izuku asked sadly.

Shouto blinked at him wordlessly, and Izuku sighed. He folded his knife and put it back into his pocket and looked at Shouto with a serious gaze.

"Quirks are illegal."

It was three words. Three simple words that had completely flipped Shouto's world in an instant. It was as if the ground beneath his feet had crumbled.

"W-What?" Shouto felt like a confused parrot.

Izuku's face scrunched up, bewildered. "Quirks are illegal. Only the quirkless are allowed to be here. The rest are shipped off to prisons…" His voice trailed off for a moment, his eyes looking thoughtful. "Hey, are you—"

"That can't be possible," Shouto rasped, spreading his arms out in frustration. "I was just _with you_ and we were fighting a villain and—"

A sudden sharp pain in his shoulder caused him to grunt, the rest of his sentence choking off. He gripped it hard and stumbled forward, his entire body shuddering from the pain.

"Whoa, hey!" Izuku grabbed his good shoulder while his other hand gripped his bicep, carefully avoiding the wound. He moved around Shouto and glanced at the gaping hole in his shoulder, the blood staining his costume. "You're hurt."

"Those officers shot me, ugh… with some kind of dart," Shouto explained.

"Quirk suppressant," Izuku explained simply, maneuvering Shouto to sit down on a nearby box.

Ah, well that explained his lack of ice and flames from earlier.

Izuku stood behind him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulders.

"I'll try to patch you up as best as I can," Izuku said.

Shouto, with shaking fingers, reached into one of his kits on his hip on pulled out a small, square bandage along with a needle and thread.

"You can use these," Shouto said, his voice trembling. "The bandage has adhesive on the sides."

Izuku hummed and gently took the small supplies from him. He pulled out his knife again and started to cut away at Shouto's costume, leaving his shoulder a little bare. He winced when Izuku's hands lightly touched the wound, and Izuku quickly mumbled a soft apology.

"There's some dirt and gravel in here, so I'm going to have to dig it out first," Izuku said. "We have medical supplies back at the base, but this is bleeding too much. I'm scared you'll faint before we get there."

Shouto paused, gritting his teeth when he felt Izuku's fingers start to pull at some rocks embedded into his skin.

"B-Base?" Shouto asked.

"Mmn," Izuku hummed, wiping at something on Shouto's back. "There are a lot of us there that live in hiding. They all have quirks, so it's not safe for them to live where the government can see them."

Shouto paused. "But you're out here."

"Yeah?" Izuku said.

Shouto turned his head back to peer at him. "But you have a quirk."

Izuku locked eyes with him and blinked for a moment before a small, goofy smile appeared on his face.

"I don't, actually," Izuku said. "I'm quirkless."

Shouto blinked at him, stunned. "But… you have a quirk. A strength quirk. Or a kind of jack-of-all trades or something."

"Nope! That sounds like a cool quirk, though," Izuku said.

Shouto was starting to become distraught. The entire situation felt like a nightmare. Was he actually dreaming?

When a sharp needle entered Shouto's back near the wound, he choked back a cry and squeezed his eyes shut.

No. Not a dream.

"No, you have a quirk," Shouto said. "We were fighting a villain together. You—ugh—You captured one of them… and I was about to get the other one."

Izuku's hands stilled for a moment, giving Shouto a brief relief from the pain.

"You said you were fighting with me?" Izuku said.

"Yes," Shouto said.

Izuku paused again, plunging the needle back into Shouto's skin. He clenched his jaw and stayed as still as possible. He was used to pain, especially being brought up in a home where pain was a daily part of his life. But now, being in this new environment and with his quirk not working, his emotions were high strung and all over the place.

And although the person standing behind him was Izuku, it was not the Izuku he knew.

Something had gone terrible wrong.

"And you said you were fighting a villain?" Izuku asked.

"Yes," Shouto answered, wondering what he was getting at.

Izuku paused for another moment as he tied off the stitching, cutting the end off with his knife. He put the bandage over Shouto's wound and pressed lightly, making Shouto's body shiver.

"What do you remember before you woke up here?" Izuku asked, moving back around him and sitting down in front of him.

Shouto breathed softly, his hand coming up to touch his bandaged shoulder. He gave it a few rolls, wincing when it tugged at his stitches, and then stilled, looking at Izuku. He was looking back with complete seriousness in his eyes.

"We were fighting a villain, and she was about to attack you," Shouto said. He thought hard for a moment, trying to remember the last few moments of the battle. "I pulled you out of the way and then…"

Fingers to his forehead, purple smoke, hazy vision…

"She… She used her quirk on me."

Izuku's face hardened, his brows knitting together in thought. His hand came up to his chin and he began to mumble softly. And suddenly, Shouto could see his best friend sitting right in front of him. This was _definitely_ Izuku, even if his hair was shorter and he was quirkless. This was his best friend.

After a minute or two, Izuku suddenly stopped muttering, and then he sat up and straightened his back, his hands lowering to grab at his knees.

"It sounds like you've been put into an alternate reality," Izuku said.

Shouto blinked at him. "An alternate reality?" he echoed. "You mean… like a different world?"

Izuku nodded. "I don't know how else to explain things." He folded his arms across his chest and looked down at the floor, almost sadly. "Seems like that villain hit you with her quirk, and it ended up sending you here."

Shouto's breaths were shallow, his mind trying to process everything. It was an overload of information that was quickly draining him of energy.

"So… How do I get back?" Shouto asked.

Izuku shook his head sadly. "I'm not sure. It should wear off eventually, right?"

Shouto slumped forward and hung his head, his hand coming up to rub his eyes.

"How long is eventually?" he mumbled.

Izuku let out a soft chuckle that felt too familiar to Shouto's ears, and then he pushed himself up and onto his feet. Shouto lifted his head at the movement, watching as Izuku placed his hands on his hips and smiled softly.

"Well, you're not safe out and about. We should go back to the base," Izuku said. "Maybe we can sort out a solution to your problem there. And actually get you some real medical treatment."

Shouto bit his lip, his hands suddenly clenched into fists. He hoped that the villain hadn't sent _his_ Izuku into another reality.

He sighed and also stood up, his shoulder throbbing. As he followed this alternate Izuku out of the abandoned building, he took a deep breath and pleaded to whoever would listen.

_Please be safe, Izuku._

* * *

Izuku's path led Shouto down dark alleyways and damaged buildings.

Izuku had mentioned something about dodging the police routes, which was already difficult enough. At every corner, it seemed that there were officers on guard, all armed with intimidating rifles. They were probably all full of quirk-suppressing darts, too.

"This way," Izuku said when they reached a tall, dark building.

They went around the back and came upon two hatch doors that probably led to a basement. Izuku grabbed one of the handles and tugged, the doors not budging. He grunted as he tugged harder, using his whole body to wrench the door open.

Shouto gave him a deadpan expression. "You really _don't_ have a quirk."

"Obviously not," Izuku said with a chuckle. "Down this way."

Once they stepped inside, Izuku yanked the door shut behind him, leaving it pitch dark. They walked down the dark steps, Shouto keeping his hand on the wall as a guide. When they reached the bottom, or what Shouto thought was the bottom, Izuku knocked six times on something that sounded metallic.

There was some shuffling, then the sounds of hinges squeaking, and suddenly there was light coming through, momentarily blinding him.

"Ah, Deku! You're back!"

Shouto whipped his head to the side to see none other than Uraraka Ochako standing in the doorway. Her hair was shorter than the Uraraka he knew, and she was thinner, but she still had the same rosy cheeks and pleasant smile.

"Hey, Uraraka," Izuku greeted. "I brought someone that needs some medical attention, so could you…?"

"Oh, yeah! I'll get Iida to grab the kit," Uraraka said, turning back in towards the room. "Hey, Iida! We need the med kit, please!"

"On it!" his familiar voice called from inside.

"Well, come on in! It's supposed to get chilly tonight," Uraraka said, nodding her head.

Izuku nodded and then glanced to Shouto, gesturing for him to follow. Shouto followed Izuku inside, shutting the door back behind him. Inside, Shouto gave himself a minute to take in his surroundings.

It looked like it was a space for underground storage for food or supplies, and Shouto vaguely wondered what kind of building they were in. The people inside had set up tables and couches, so it must've been their central meeting place.

As he looked around more, he noticed that there were several familiar—well, mostly familiar—faces. And they actually all belonged to a majority of his classmates.

Uraraka was talking to Tsuyu, whose hair was also much shorter than the original, when she turned around to face them again.

"So, Deku, who did you…" Her voice trailed off when her eyes landed on Shouto. "T-Todoroki?!"

The room suddenly fell silent, and several eyes were suddenly gazing in their direction. The next moment devolved into chaos as several alternate versions of his classmates hurried over to his side.

"Todoroki? Dude, haven't seen you in almost two years! What happened, man?" Kaminari—or this version of him, anyway—came up first, his eyes wide and excited.

"Yeah! It's been so long!" Did Shouto know this guy? He looked somewhat familiar… "And diggin' the hair, dude. Very manly!"

"K-Kirishima?" Shouto whispered, shocked at Kirishima's black, flat hair.

"Oh dear, Todoroki. What happened to your face?" Momo approached him next, her hair not in her signature ponytail but instead down by her shoulders.

"My face?" Shouto asked.

"Yes. That scar…" Momo pointed to the left side of his face, and Shouto jolted, his hand subconsciously lifting to cover it—a habit he had not done in a while.

"Yeah, you didn't have that before…" Hagakure pointed out, her sleeve the only movement he could see.

All of the stares were starting to make Shouto uncomfortable. He hadn't relayed his situation to anyone but Izuku, and he found out later that Bakugou knew, as well. But other than that, no one else knew, and since his relationship with his father had gotten more civil, there was no need to drag out his family's dirty laundry.

But would he seriously have to explain himself here? To these versions of his classmates that didn't really know him?

"I…" Shouto stuttered.

He felt his stomach turn over with nerves, overwhelmed. He nearly bit his tongue in his muttering. Did that quirk suppressant also have some sort of emotion scrambler, too?

"He's not our Todoroki."

Shouto blinked, his panic starting to simmer down as his classmates turned their gazes to Izuku, who was leaning against the wall, his arms folded across his chest. Izuku's eyes were staring hard at the floor, his brows furrowed and his lips pulled into a tight line. He seemed almost upset by his previous statement, and the thought sent a strange feeling to Shouto's gut.

Was Izuku really upset that he wasn't _their_ Todoroki?

"What are you talking about, Midoriya-chan?" Tsuyu asked, tilting her head to the side.

"He's from a different reality," Izuku said.

"Huh?" Hagakure asked. "What the heck are you talking about?"

"This sounds like a bad novel," Kaminari mentioned.

"Let him speak," Iida said, coming through the side door with a medical kit in his hands. He looked fairly the same except… he didn't have his exhausts on his calves. He had mentioned how painful it was to remove them before, hadn't he? Why were they off now? "I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for this."

"There is. I think," Izuku said, taking the med kit from Iida's hands. "This Todoroki was hit by a quirk in his world that sent him to our world. When I found him, he had no idea that quirks are illegal."

"What? No way, there's no way he couldn't have known. He's bluffing, right?" Kirishima asked, looking at Shouto.

"Uh," Shouto said intelligently.

"I'm not bluffing," Izuku said. "He's a hero in his world."

"What?! A hero?" Another voice popped in—Sato, and next to him was Sero. How did Shouto miss them earlier?

"Um. Hero-in-training, to be exact," Shouto corrected. He pulled out his provisional license from his pocket and held it up, the word "HERO" printed across the back. "I have my license right here."

The group suddenly crowded him further, all trying to take a peek at the thin piece of plastic in his grasp.

"No way!"

"It's legit!"

"How in the world…?"

"That's just it," Izuku said, walking over to Shouto and taking him by the shoulder. "He's not _from_ this world."

He pulled Shouto to one of the tables and sat him down in a chair, going to his back and looking at his wound again.

"I'm going to redo the stitches since we have cleaner materials," Izuku explained. "Here, have some painkillers."

He handed Shouto some pills, which Shouto took right away without any water. He needed the medicine to flow through his system as quickly as possible.

"So… he's really not our Todoroki, then," Uraraka said, a little sadly, and it felt like a punch to Shouto's stomach.

"No," Izuku said. "But he recognized me, so he must know all of you guys, too. Right?"

Izuku gave Shouto a little pat on the shoulder. "Yes. You are all my classmates back in my world." He glanced around the room, making a mental count of everyone. "Except… not all of you are here."

"Oh? Who's missing?" Tsuyu asked.

Shouto blinked, taking in the faces that surrounded him. "Shoji, Koda, and Tokoyami. Ashido, Jiro, Mineta, and Aoyama. Oh, and Bakugou." As he read off their names, a few of them flinched, their faces pulling into frowns. He glanced over to Tsuyu to answer her question. "Did those names sound familiar?"

The room gave a collective nod, their expressions grim.

"They've all been caught and sent off to prison," Sero said.

"It was harder for them to hide their quirks," Uraraka explained.

Shouto quirked a brow. "And Bakugou?"

That brought a sad, small chuckle out of Kirishima. "Well, if our Bakugou is anything like yours, then you can assume what happened with him."

Yeah, Shouto thought. Bakugou was the type to go in headfirst to fight back. He was probably captured in one of his outbursts.

Shouto thought back to his first-year, when Bakugou won first place in the sports festival. It seemed silly at the time for Bakugou to be chained up in such a way. But now, Shouto wondered if he was getting the exact same treatment at this very moment.

What was going on in this universe?

"We've been trying to gather as many of our friends as we could before they got captured," Momo said, her hand coming up to hold her shirt at her chest. "We tried to fight back, but sometimes it wasn't enough."

"We were trying to form some sort of rescue mission for them, but once our strongest were taken, we couldn't handle the pressure," Iida said. "We've been in hiding ever since."

"Ah! But maybe this Todoroki can help!" Uraraka said cheerfully.

The hands on Shouto's back stilled. He glanced over his shoulder to see Izuku looking down at Shouto's wound with a pained look on his face. It didn't suit his features at all.

"What do you mean, Ochako?" Tsuyu asked, tilting her head.

"Well, if he's a hero in his world, then maybe his control over his quirk is amazing!" Uraraka explained. She pumped her fist in a punching motion. "And if that's the case, then maybe he can help us bust our friends out of prison!"

Kirishima was the first to jump at the idea. "Yeah! So is your quirk the same as our Todoroki's?"

"Yeah! Can you shoot out snowflakes and make smoke?" Kaminari asked.

"Uh," Shouto paused. Snowflakes and smoke? Was their Todoroki that weak? "I can make ice and flames."

"Whoa that's way different!"

"We could definitely use that to get our friends out!"

"Yeah we should come up with a plan."

**"No."**

Izuku's sharp tone cut off everyone's excitement. Shouto turned his head back to stare at him, confusion on his face.

His friend's eyes, instead of having their usual glimmer of hope, were cold and closed off. He looked angry, and it wasn't his usual anger when he saw a villain. This anger was biting and frigid, making even Shouto shiver.

"Deku…" Uraraka whispered.

Izuku taped up Shouto's wound and pressed down lightly, smoothing out the bandage. He paused, his hand still on Shouto's back, and talked over his head.

"We're not doing that," Izuku said. "It's dangerous. And foolish."

"But, Midoriya! This Todoroki has probably been training with his quirk for a long time!" Kirishima said.

"Kirishima's right!" Kaminari added. "We could totally go in and rescue our friends."

Izuku sighed, letting go of Shouto's neck and stepping off to the side. He headed towards a doorway on the far side, his shoulders rigid.

"It's not safe. And you all know that," Izuku said, his hand on the doorknob.

Uraraka jumped up from her seat. "But, Deku—"

"I said, _no,"_ Izuku said, whipping his head around to glare at her.

She shut her mouth with an audible click, her back stiffening. The rest of the room fell silent, the tension thick in the air. Shouto had never seen such a vicious look on his face before. It _really_ didn't suit him, and the sight was making Shouto feel dizzy.

"We don't do things like that around here. You know the risks," Izuku snapped. He opened the door in front of him and turned his head away, his short curls barely moving. "And that's the end of discussion."

Izuku quietly shut the door behind him, leaving the rest of the room in a tense stillness.

Shouto was in awe, stunned silent. He recalled the night that Bakugou was kidnapped. Sure, Kirishima first brought up his rescue plan, but Izuku was quick to jump on board. He was ready to risk everything, even his life, for the sake of another human being—and that human being was _Bakugou_ of all people.

But this Izuku… _this_ Izuku was nothing like the best friend he had grown to know over the years.

Just who was he?

He glanced around the room to give the rest of his alternate universe friends a confused stare, but they all greeted him with small smiles, not put off by Izuku's behavior in the slightest. It seemed as if no one was surprised by his hostile rejection of the rescue idea.

"Todoroki," Iida called, suddenly by his side. "May I show you a room?"

Shouto blinked at him. "A room?"

"Yes. We all have rooms here. This used to be a hotel before it was abandoned," Iida explained. "I'm sure you would like to sleep off your injuries. This has probably been quite a stressful day for you."

As soon as he spoke the words, it was as if a lead weight dropped on Shouto's shoulders, and he slumped forward a little.

"I… I suppose I could use a nap," Shouto said.

"Excellent!" Iida said, his features brightening. "We also have the water working, so you can partake in a bath."

Shouto stood up from the stool, eyeing Iida carefully. "How do you keep the power running here?"

"Ah, that's my job!" Kaminari spoke up. "I recharge the generator every so often."

"I'll make you some new clothes, Todoroki," Momo said as Iida led him to the same doorway that Izuku disappeared through.

"Ah. Thank you," Shouto called.

His mind was in a thick haze as he climbed the stairs and was shown an empty hotel room on the top floor along with the baths. He was even drearier after his lukewarm bath, but he still welcomed visits from several of his fellow peers. And after they had chatted, he flopped into bed and dozed off.

Izuku was the only person absent from the evening.

* * *

A soft banging from above roused Shouto from his sleep.

He felt a little confused as to where he was, but when he felt the lumpy bed beneath him, along with his aching shoulder, his body jolted awake. He sat up in bed and blinked, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dark.

The soft banging noise happened again, followed by a muffled, _"damn it."_

Shouto blinked back into awareness and dragged himself off of the bed. The new clothes Momo had made him were similar to his costume, but he had a feeling that it wouldn't be fire resistant. He would wear it for now, since it wasn't bloodied and dirty.

He left his room quietly and headed towards the stairs, making his way up to the roof. He reached the top of the stairs and opened up the door, letting the cold wind hit his face. He glanced around until his eyes landed on the figure sitting on the edge of the roof, one foot dangling off the side.

It was Izuku, and he was tugging on his shirt, his hand wiping his face. He looked a little battered and bruised, but he seemed more frustrated than hurt.

Shouto let the door shut quietly behind him, but the click was loud enough for Izuku to flinch and jump to his feet. He drew his knife, and his face twisted into a snarl. Shouto put up his hands in silent submission, and Izuku instantly relaxed.

"Geez, don't sneak up on me like that," Izuku said, flipping the knife back into his pocket.

"Sorry," Shouto apologized. He put his hands back by his sides. "You okay? You look like you were in a fight."

Izuku sighed and sat back down, his hand coming up to wipe his cheek.

"Some officers were trying to arrest a little girl with a water quirk," Izuku explained. "It got a little messy."

Shouto gingerly sat down next to him, his wound on his shoulder tugging slightly.

"Do you always do this?" Shouto asked. "Go off on your own and fight the police?"

Izuku smiled softly but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Only when it's dark."

Shouto wrinkled his brows. "Do the others know you're doing this?"

"Do you always ask so many questions?"

"Do you always deflect?"

Izuku huffed, smiling a little brighter as he wiped away a blood smear from his cheek. He sat back and glanced up at the night sky, the stars very visible.

"I do it because there's no one else who will," Izuku said.

Shouto winced. "The others would definitely want to help," he said. "They even want to go into the prisons and rescue the rest of your friends."

Izuku frowned and sighed. "It's too dangerous."

"Too dangerous? They all have quirks," Shouto said.

"Exactly," Izuku said. "They won't arrest me since I don't have a quirk. So I'm the safest one to go out here."

"But I'm sure they could—"

"Drop it," Izuku said, his voice tired. He sighed and hung his head. "Please just let it go."

Shouto hesitated, his heart sinking further into his ribcage. He fiddled with his hands in his lap and thought over his next words.

"What's the real reason you don't want them helping?" Shouto asked.

Izuku lifted his head and looked at him, eyes a little wide. "What?"

"You're obviously hiding the real reason," Shouto said. "So? What is it? Why won't you let them help you?"

Izuku bit his lip, his brows furrowing over his eyes as he squinted at Shouto with something akin to hurt laced in his features. He glanced away and sighed, running his fingers through his hair and then keeping them over his eyes. After a few deep breaths, he huffed out a strained laugh and dropped his hands into his lap. He had an eerie smile on his face that looked all too fatigued and worn.

"I don't let them help," he began, looking to Shouto with a sad smile on his face, "because I'll just get them killed."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

* * *

Shouto tied the laces of his boots tightly against his shins. His old, worn costume was once again on his body, and the suit that Momo made for him was neatly folded on his bed. He had tried to keep the room the same as he left it.

The hospitality that everyone provided him was really too much, and he wish he could repay them somehow, but there was nothing he could do. And while he enjoyed their company, he didn't belong there. It wasn't home. He had to get back to his own world.

He had to find _his_ friends.

He stood to his feet and stretched, the bandage on his shoulder pulling on his skin. He reached up and held his arm, rolling it in his socket a few times. Whatever Izuku did to patch up his wound really helped.

Izuku…

_"I'll just get them killed."_

Shouto grimaced, his thoughts drifting back to the previous night. Those words that Izuku had spoken were said with such defeat and deprecation that it made Shouto feel queasy. Never before had he heard such words come from Izuku's mouth. But then again, this wasn't _his_ Izuku.

After Izuku had said those words, the conversation fizzled out awkwardly, and Shouto left the rooftop with a new resolve to leave this universe as quickly as possible.

He just had one problem.

How was he getting out of here?

After Shouto put his supplies back into his belt and tightened his temperature regulators around his wrists, he promptly left his hotel room and descended down the flights of stairs and to the underground storage. Besides the roof, it was the only way out of the building. All of the other doors, along with the windows and balconies, were boarded up.

When Shouto reached the storage room, he was greeted with the sight of some familiar faces sorting through boxes and plastic bags. They weren't there the night before, and they were stuffed with cans and water bottles.

"Ah, good morning, Todoroki!" Uraraka greeted from the floor.

Shouto gave a small wave and walked over by her side. Tsuyu was sitting on the floor next to her, picking up some cans and sorting through them.

"Um… grocery day?" Shouto asked.

"Yes, actually," Tsuyu answered, a small smile on her face.

"We all go out once a week and scrounge up as much food as possible," Hagakure explained, also picking up some cans. "It's easier to do it in the daytime since there aren't as many police out."

Shouto turned his head to see Iida carrying a few full boxes in his arms, Kirishima in tow.

"We go out in groups once a week and sneak into the city for food," Kirishima said.

Shouto hesitated, pulling his lip to the side. "So… you steal it?"

Iida winced, and a few of the girls exchanged looks. But Kirishima let out a belly laugh as he set down his box.

"Well, if it's from the corrupt government, then is it really stealing?" he asked, kneeling down at his box.

His comment seemed to make Iida relax, and he even smiled, adjusting his glasses on his face after he placed his box down next to Uraraka.

"Well said, Kirishima!" Iida exclaimed.

The girls smiled and continued to unload their boxes, Uraraka glancing up at him with a smile.

"You wanna help look for food? I think Sato's team is still out scrounging," she said.

Shouto made a quick glance around the room before landing back on her.

"Did Izuku go with them?" Shouto asked.

"Hm?" Uraraka said, tilting her head. "Oh, Deku? No, he usually goes out on his own."

Shouto managed to bite back a wince and he sighed softly, lowering his gaze.

"Sorry. I'd like to help out, but I should really get going," Shouto said.

Everyone stopped and looked up at him, eyes curious and smiles gone.

"Going? Where?" Iida asked, concern in his voice.

"I have to figure out how to get back to my world," Shouto said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"But how?" Kirishima asked. "You said it was just a quirk, right? It should wear off…"

Shouto winced. "And if it doesn't?"

No one answered him, and Shouto sighed in defeat.

"Thank you all for your hospitality," Shouto said. "Um… Give Izuku my regards."

The rest nodded solemnly, seeming at a loss for words. But Shouto was fine with that. He was never good with words anyway, especially when it was parting words. This world wasn't meant for him, anyway.

He headed towards the door that led to the stairwell, ready to tug it open, when suddenly, it swung open, two figures barreling inside.

Shouto stumbled backward a few steps, allowing a panting Sato and Sero to come inside. They were both shaken up, looking frantic. The rest of the group was by their side in an instant.

"Good heavens! What in world is going on?" Iida asked, putting a hand on Sero's shoulder.

"We've… got to… save him," Sero gasped in between pants.

"Please," Sato said. "They're… They're attacking him!"

"Who?" Hagakure asked.

"Kaminari!" Sero yelled, desperate. "There was a group of anti-quirks hanging around where we were gathering supplies in the east district."

"They noticed us and started yelling," Sato said. "We were trying to leave, but they grabbed him!"

"He told us to go on without him and get help!" Sero said.

"We don't know if the protesters called the police or not!" Sato said. "Please! We have to do something!"

The others descended into a panic.

"What should we do?" Momo asked. "If we go, we could get arrested."

"But we have to do _something!"_ Kirishima said, exasperated.

"Deku… Where are you?" Uraraka whispered.

Shouto watched as they started to chatter, their voices growing louder the panic set in further. If they waited too long, Kaminari would probably be taken into custody. They had to act fast before it was too late.

"I'll go," Shouto said, straightening his back.

The room fell into a deafening silence, everyone exchanging nervous glances with one another. Iida was the first to speak, his eyes sharp.

"Well, if that's the case, then I'll go with you," Iida said, his hands resting on his hips.

"What?! That's dangerous!" Uraraka said.

"You two aren't serious, are you?" Sero asked.

"Someone has to go with Todoroki to make sure he's safe!" Iida said, making the others go quiet.

There was a brief pause, and then Kirishima rolled up his sleeves, placing his hands on his hips.

"Then I'm going, too!" he said.

Shouto's eyes widened. Something about this was beginning to be familiar.

"Eh?! Kirishima, you're going, too?"

"No, please!"

"This isn't safe…"

Kirishima smiled, pointing at his chest. "You need someone manly on the job, you know!"

Shouto hesitated, but nodded. He turned towards the door and gestured for the other two to follow. Iida and Kirishima nodded, both following Shouto out the door and up the stairs.

"Where is the east district?" Shouto asked as they ascended.

"It's not too far from here," Iida said, his tone serious. "I'll show you the way."

"We've got to hurry," Kirishima said, lips pulled down in a frown. "I don't want them taking any more of our friends."

"They won't," Shouto said. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

They quickly left the stairwell and climbed through the hatch doors, the sunlight shining down brightly on their heads and briefly blinding them. Iida quickly made work of checking the area before proceeding any further, and Kirishima was busy closing one of the heavy hatch doors.

"All right. The roads are clear. We can go down the pathways as normal," Iida said.

Shouto nodded and turned back to Kirishima, who had just managed to get one of the doors shut.

But just before Kirishima could close the other door, there was a shout.

"Wait!"

Kirishima held open the other door and waited as Momo ascended from the stairwell, her hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"Momo?!" Kirishima said in surprise, letting the door fall shut after she moved out of the way.

"What are you doing up here?" Iida asked, exasperated.

"I'm coming, too," she said, her voice shaking a bit. "I can make weapons and shields in case there are police."

"But this is dangerous!" Kirishima said.

"I know," she said softly. She put her hand to her chest and took a deep breath, looking up at them with determination in her eyes. "But I don't want to lose anyone else!"

Ah, Shouto thought. Now this was getting very familiar. They were only missing one member of their rescue operation.

"Stay close," Shouto said, the rest of the group looking back at him. He turned and faced down the road where Iida had pointed earlier. "Let's go get Kaminari back."

* * *

Iida led them down the safest pathway, which was out of sight to any pedestrians or police. Iida managed to keep his speed slower than he was capable of, but they still tried to move fast. There was no telling what shape things were in by the time they would arrive.

After turning down another corner, they heard shouts echoing against the brick walls.

"No, please! Just let me go—_augh!"_

There were a few chuckles of laughter, followed by more of Kaminari's strained cries.

The group moved towards the edge of an alleyway, poking their heads around the corner. Down towards the middle was a large, unsettling group of men. There had to be at least ten of them, but there could have been more nearby. Two of them had Kaminari pinned against the wall, his face bruised and his arms battered.

"P-Please!" Kaminari begged. "I don't want any trouble."

"You already caused trouble when you walked in on our turf," one of them said.

"But I didn't do anything!" Kaminari yelled, trying to wrench his arms from the men who had grabbed him. "I'm only trying to—"

His sentence was cut off when one man punched Kaminari in the face, causing his head to whip to the side. He groaned in pain and hung his head, coughing out some blood and spitting it on the ground.

Kirishima gasped, his eyebrows scrunching up in pain. "Denki!"

Shouto held out his hand in front of his chest, preventing Kirishima from moving. He didn't want anyone jumping into action without knowing the whole situation first.

"Why doesn't he use his quirk?" Shouto asked, looking back at the other three with him.

"He's not very good at using it when he's under pressure," Kirishima said sadly.

"When he loses control over it, it not only stuns the people around him, but it renders him useless, as well," Iida explained.

Shouto recalled all the times Kaminari went overboard with his quirk, resulting in a stupefied version of himself that took over an hour for him to come out of. He had gotten better with it by their third year, and he was actually quite powerful.

But this Kaminari hadn't practiced his quirk other than charging the generator at the hotel. It was no wonder he was too afraid to use it here.

"If he uses it, he might be able to take out a few of them," Momo said. "But he wouldn't be able to escape."

Shouto winced, turning back to observe the situation again. The one man—the ringleader, Shouto guessed—had forced Kaminari to look at him, holding him by his chin.

"Now then, tell us where your other friends ran off to," he said to Kaminari.

Kaminari grit his bloodied teeth and glared up at the man. His hands curled into fists.

The man in front of him grew impatient, and he reared back his fist and thrust it into Kaminari's stomach, making him sputter and cough. More blood dripped from his mouth.

Shouto's eyebrows twitched. He glanced back at the others. "Why do they want to know where you guys are?"

Momo put her hands to her chest, looking nervous. "If citizens turn in the quirked people, they get an award."

Shouto grit his teeth and whipped back around to Kaminari. He already had enough of this world. It was infuriating to watch.

"Let's try this again," the man said threateningly. "Tell us where your friends are. Now."

Kaminari wheezed, spitting out some blood, and he looked up at the man, giving him a snarl.

"Go… to hell," he wheezed.

The man growled and reached into his back pocket, pulling out a gun. He jammed the gun against Kaminari's temple, making him whimper.

"Wrong answer," the man responded, the gun clicking. Kaminari closed his eyes and winced, seeming to accept his fate.

Kirishima was about to spiral into a panic, and he grabbed Shouto's arm.

"We've got to do something!" Kirishima said.

"What can we do?" Momo asked, looking nervous.

Shouto felt sweat slide down the back of his neck as Kaminari shook under the cold touch of the muzzle. He had to come up with a quick plan, but those were never his strong suit. Izuku was always the one to jump right into action without a second thought, and he would always be the one to come up with the best plans.

Shouto really wished the Izuku from his world were here right now.

"Let him go!"

A voice ringing out in the distance startled Shouto out of his hesitant thoughts, and suddenly, Izuku jumped into action near the group of men, kicking the gun out of the man's hand.

"Hey!" the man shouted, holding his sore hand.

But before he could react, Izuku swung his leg upwards and kicked him in the face, knocking him to the ground.

The other men that were holding Kaminari quickly released him, letting him fall limp to the ground. They scrambled to dig their guns out of their pockets, but Izuku was faster, sweeping their legs and giving them a quick punch to the temple to knock them out.

More of the men started to gather around him, their guns already drawn, and their leader sat up from the ground, his hand holding his bleeding jaw.

"Oi, is this guy one of the quirked bastards?" the leader asked, his words a bit slurred.

"I don't think so, man!" another replied, holding up his phone. "My scanner's got nothing on him!"

"Then what are you waiting for! Shoot him!" their leader yelled.

The other men drew their guns, and Izuku was suddenly caught in between them and the brick wall with nowhere to go. He put his arms up over his face and closed his eyes when they cocked their guns.

"C'mon, kill him! Kill him!" their leader yelled.

Shouto's mind stopped reeling, and he stomped his right leg down to form a long path of ice that quickly ran in between Izuku and the armed men. And just before the men fired their guns, he moved the ice upward to create a thick wall, stopping the bullets before they came anywhere near Izuku. Izuku opened his eyes to see the ice in front of him, blinking slowly.

"Incredible," Momo whispered.

"My goodness," Iida commented.

"You are definitely _not_ our Todoroki," Kirishima said.

Shouto huffed out some steam and ignited his left side, charging forward towards the group and Izuku. He aimed his left arm toward the men holding the guns and shot out a precise line of fire from the palm of his hand. The sleeves of their shirts immediately caught on fire and they screamed, dropping their weapons to shake out the flames.

"You useless idiots!" the leader yelled, scrambling for his own weapon.

He whirled around and aimed his gun towards Izuku. Shouto lurched forward, trying to put up his ice wall to block, but his ice was too slow.

"Izuku, get down!" Shouto yelled.

Izuku turned, his eyes widening as he spotted the leader of the group aiming his gun towards his face. Shouto reached forward, desperate to pull him out of the way.

But the man pulled the trigger, and a shot rang out.

"Izuku!" Shouto yelled.

It whistled in the air for a moment before it ricocheted off of something, bouncing down the brick walls before landing in the dirt.

Shouto inhaled sharply.

Kirishima was standing in between the man and Izuku, his hardened arms protecting his face. He had a red mark on his forearm where the bullet hit, but it did not penetrate the skin.

"Kirishima?!" Izuku shrieked. "What are you doing here?"

Kirishima turned back to Izuku and gave him his bright smile. "I've got your back, buddy!"

"But you shouldn't _be_ here!" Izuku said.

Shouto hurried by their sides and ignited his flames on his left side, staring down the man in front of him. The leader took a step back but did not put down his weapon.

The other men had regained their footing and their weapons, and they now had the three surrounded.

"We need to get Kaminari out of here," Shouto said, glancing back at their hurt friend still lying on the ground.

"If we stay here too much longer, the police will show up," Izuku said.

Kirishima's arms went back to normal, his eye twitching from the strain of using his quirk.

Shouto swallowed thickly. With Izuku being quirkless and Kirishima and Kaminari being too tired to fight, Shouto had to figure out a plan on his own. But if he made too many rash decisions, it could get one of his friends shot. He had to think of a plan. He had to come up with something quick before—

Suddenly, there was a sharp clinking noise, and a small, black object rolled towards the leader's feet. And then, it burst into a blinding light, making everyone groan and shield their eyes.

"Damn it, a flash grenade!" the leader yelled.

Shouto kept his eyes shut to keep himself from going blind, but his heart was racing. Were the police already here? Are they getting ambushed?

Then, he felt a soft hand grab his wrist. He was about to ignite his arm in flames when he heard Momo's soft voice next to him.

"Todoroki-kun, hurry!" she said, pulling him to the side.

He squinted his eyes open to see the back of Momo's head before shutting his eyes, allowing himself to be blindly guided down some street. They lightly jogged a little ways away before Shouto could open his eyes again. His vision was fuzzy when he did, but it soon cleared and he could see Momo's back as she opened a door to a random building and pulled Shouto inside. Once inside, she let go of his hand and shut the door, putting her hand to her chest.

Shouto turned around and saw the rest of his friends standing inside the building, as well. Kaminari was draped carefully on Iida's back, Iida's hands cupping his thighs. He looked exhausted, but Shouto figured that none of his injuries were life-threatening.

Thank goodness.

"Good work, Yaoyorozu-san," Iida said, nodding to her.

"A-Ah, I didn't do much," she said, putting her hands on her cheeks.

Shouto blinked, recalling a few times he and the Momo from his world did rescue missions together. She often had flash grenades handy…

"Did you make that flash grenade?" Shouto asked.

Momo nodded, a light flush on her cheeks. "I know the materials for the basic weapons, but that one I had to do a lot of studying."

Shouto nodded. "That was good thinking."

She blushed even more. "Th-Thank you, Todoroki-kun."

He smiled and then turned his attention to Iida and Kirishima. "And you guys were quicker to think, too. I don't know why I hesitated so much."

"Don't sweat it, dude!" Kirishima said. "Besides, your quirk was awesome!"

"Yes, it was very powerful," Iida said, readjusting Kaminari under his hands.

Kaminari shifted and grunted on Iida's back, tilting his head up to look at Shouto over Iida's shoulder. He gave a weak thumbs-up, a small, tired smile on his face.

"Thank you, Todoroki. I owe you," he said, his voice strained.

Shouto shook his head. "It wasn't just me. It was all of us," he said. He turned to look at Izuku. "And if it weren't for Izuku—"

Suddenly, there were hands on his shirt, and he was yanked forward a step before a fist collided with his cheek, making him stumble backward. Shouto held his cheek and glanced up at Izuku, dumbfounded. The man opposite of him stood with fury in his eyes and his hands in fists by his sides.

"Whoa, Midoriya, what are you doing?!" Kirishima asked, putting a hand on Izuku's shoulder.

Izuku shoved his hand away and stomped towards Shouto, his hands immediately reaching up to grip his collar.

"What the hell are you trying to do?" Izuku asked, yanking him down so they can be eye-to-eye. "What were you thinking bringing them here?! Don't you know how dangerous it is?!"

Shouto reeled, trying to straighten his back, but Izuku's grip was stronger than it looked, and he kept Shouto still. Shouto grit his teeth and reached up to grab onto Izuku's wrists, trying to get them to loosen their vice-like grip on his collar.

"We were doing what we could to save Kaminari's life," Shouto said.

"I was handling it," Izuku said.

"By yourself?" Shouto said, cocking a brow. "You sure you could've handled that alone?"

Izuku's scowl morphed into a glower. "I had a plan."

"Um… guys, let's not fight, okay?" Kirishima said, inching forward with his hands in front of him.

"What _plan?"_ Shouto asked, ignoring Kirishima. "The only plan I saw involved you recklessly jumping in the middle of the situation and possibly getting shot in the process."

Izuku looked ready to explode, his face still twisted in this strange bout of anger that Shouto rarely saw on his friend's face. It was pure rage, and Shouto thought back to the Izuku from his world. His soft smiles, his babbling demeanor, his constant selflessness.

While the Izuku from this world was selfless, he certainly didn't hold a candle to the Izuku he knew.

"You put my friends in danger. You risked their lives!" Izuku said.

"I didn't _force_ them to come with me," Shouto said. He lifted his hand and pointed towards the rest of the group. "But it was better that they did come along. Without their help, who knows what could've happened!"

Izuku kept his mouth shut, but his glare was still plastered on his face, just as fierce as before. His hands still gripped Shouto's collar without any signs of letting go, and Shouto was about to shove them away when they heard a soft sniffle.

Izuku's face immediately twisted into concern as he snapped his head to the side. Shouto followed his gaze until he spotted Kaminari, still on Iida's back, and he had tears streaming down his bruised cheeks.

"This is all m-my fault," Kaminari whispered.

"D-Denki," Kirishima whispered, coming closer to rest a hand on Kaminari's back.

"If I hadn't gotten caught, if I had just stuck with the plan, th-then none of this would've happened," Kaminari whimpered. He swallowed down a sob and choked on a hiccup.

"Kaminari, that's not true," Momo said softly.

"Yes, do not blame yourself," Iida said.

Kaminari shut his eyes, his hands clutching onto Iida's shirt as he sobbed quietly.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he whispered in between hiccups.

Kirishima rubbed his back gently and glanced over to Izuku and Shouto. Izuku finally let go of Shouto's collar, allowing him to stand straight.

"Kaminari needs medical attention," Iida mentioned.

"We really should get him back," Momo said.

Izuku hesitated one more moment, giving Shouto a wary glance, before he sighed softly and nodded.

"Yeah. Let's get him back," Izuku said, and he passed by Shouto without even sparing him a second glance.

* * *

After the group had returned, they immediately rushed Kaminari up to his room to get patched up. After finding no major injuries, they gave him some medicine and allowed him to sleep.

Once Shouto made sure Kaminari was going to be okay, he left Iida to tend to his bedside while he went back downstairs to the common area.

Everyone else was working silently to put away the supplies they had just gathered. They each had a grim look on their face, but Shouto could tell that it wasn't the first time they had gone through something so traumatic.

"Hey, I thought we were supposed to grab some more medical supplies," Uraraka said, looking into the last box in her stack. "Anyone have a box like that?"

"Not over here," Sato said.

"Not here, either," Tsuyu said.

"Oh. I think that was the box Kaminari was going after," Sero mentioned, scratching his chin.

"Ah… I see," Uraraka said sadly. "It's a shame… We could really use more disinfectant and bandages."

"I can go do another trip!" Kirishima said, raising his hand.

Iida looked up sharply from his box. "Not alone, you're not."

Kirishima smiled softly. "I know, I know. I got it. Not alone."

Shouto glanced around the room, feeling a bit out of place. He had already overstayed their welcome, and he was one of the ones to use a lot of their medical supplies already. He owed it to them to help them out just one more time.

"I can go with you," Shouto said, raising his hand.

"Great!" Kirishima said. "Maybe you can show me more of your fire and ice quirk."

"Ah, stop right there," Izuku said, standing to his feet. He grabbed a backpack and threw it over his shoulders. "I'm going, too."

"Eh?" Kirishima said, his tongue stuttering to a stop. The others in the room also gave Izuku a perplexed look. "You wanna come, too?"

Izuku shrugged. "Someone has to keep an eye on you."

Kirishima hesitated, but then barked out a laugh, his hands coming to his hips.

"Fine. I guess we'll be like a small team, right Todoroki?" Kirishima asked.

Shouto nodded, but he kept his gaze on Izuku. The smaller teen was avoiding his gaze but Shouto could still sense the heat from his anger.

The three ascended the same staircase and headed off in a different direction. Kirishima had mentioned another hot spot for good medical supplies, and Izuku and Shouto followed behind him. They came upon the edge of the city where several truck shipment containers were held. They all had the government logos on the sides.

"We need to just get in and get out. It's almost sunset," Izuku mentioned.

Kirishima saluted him and then scaled the fence, hopping onto the other side. Izuku and Shouto followed suit, both hopping the fence and searching the yard for a container with a medical cross on the side.

"Found it!" Kirishima announced.

"Keep your voice down," Izuku whispered, waving his hands in front of him.

"Oops," Kirishima whispered as he slowly pried open the door.

He slipped inside while Shouto and Izuku stood guard in front, each keeping a watchful eye on the roads and pathways. They stood in awkward silence as they waited, each of them trying to avoid the other's gaze.

But, the awkward tension didn't last. Izuku, in his fidgety nature, was the first to break the silence.

"How are you so sure that as a group, things are better?" Izuku asked, folding his arms across his chest.

Shouto blinked at him, and then he took his lip into his mouth. He thought about the conversation he had with his Izuku just before he was dropped into this crazy place. His Izuku had loved having teammates. Working alone was never something he would ever recommend.

"Actually… you, uh, I mean… the Izuku from my world…" Shouto began, making Izuku look up at him. "That Izuku really likes having teams. He was trying to convince me to join him in a team, actually."

Izuku quirked a brow. "Convince you? So you're against it?"

Shouto rubbed the back of his neck. He couldn't bear to look at Izuku and say the next few words. He knew that this wasn't the Izuku he knew, but the familiar face was throwing him off.

"It's not that I'm against it. I think it's good to work together," Shouto said. There was a brief pause. "But I'm just not sure if I would be right for _his_ team."

He could feel Izuku staring at him, and even Shouto knew his own reasoning sounded absurd. Of course he would be a good fit for a team, especially with his friends from UA.

But his father's words were still stuck in his head. Why hasn't he overcome this yet? It's been years since he came to terms with everything.

So why did his father's words return _now_ of all times?

"All done!"

Shouto jumped when he heard Kirishima's voice echo next to him.

"Kirishima, not so _loud!"_ Izuku stressed.

"Ah, right," Kirishima whispered, his arms full of medical supplies.

Izuku took off his backpack and opened it up, letting Kirishima dump his supplies inside.

"Is that all you could find?" Izuku asked.

"Well, it was what I could find that didn't require me breaking anything," Kirishima said.

The other two nodded and helped shut the container. Once it was back to how they found it, they hurried towards the fence.

Shouto was the first up to scale the fence and land on the other side. Izuku shucked off his backpack and tossed it over, Shouto catching it with ease. Then, Izuku climbed the fence.

"We need to get back with these as soon as possible," Izuku said to Shouto once he landed.

Shouto nodded and handed him back his bag. They turned towards the road, watching for any signs of police. They heard the clinking of the fence as Kirishima started to climb.

"Yeah, Denki's gonna love the lame cartoon-print bandaids I grabbed," Kirishima said as he latched onto the fence.

Izuku managed a small smile and he rolled his eyes playfully. "I'm sure he'll be pleased. Now hurry up, Kirishima."

"I'm on it," Kirishima said, pulling himself up further. He was getting close to the top when he released another snicker. "Maybe next time I'll grab—"

Suddenly, his sentence was cut off when a gunshot rang out in the air, and a large dart hit him in his thigh. He let out a small scream as he fell from the top of the fence, his hands coming down to clutch his leg.

"Kirishima!" Shouto shouted, getting ready to sprint to the fence.

But Izuku grabbed his hand and yanked him back, pulling them both backward to duck behind a dumpster.

"Midoriya! Todoroki!" Kirishima yelled, reaching out towards them.

Several police stormed the other side of the fence and pushed Kirishima face-down into the ground as they cuffed him. He let out a cry as he was dragged out of sight, the police surveying the area.

Then, just as quickly as it started, the police vanished beyond the fence line.

And Shouto and Izuku were left speechless, both still huddled behind that dirty dumpster.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

* * *

It was their second year when Shouto truly discovered Izuku's recklessness.

He thought Izuku had always been a bit crazy, especially with his self-sacrificing quirk and constant broken bones during the beginning of their first year. But nothing compared to this particular incident.

It was a Wednesday afternoon, and Class 2-A was participating in a training exercise that focused on search and rescue. They went to a controlled area to run several different disaster simulations—floods, fires, tornadoes… anything, really. They were to work in groups to rescue as many victims as possible.

Shouto was grouped with Izuku and Kirishima for their run, and the simulation was an earthquake. Several buildings were on the verge of collapse with four people trapped inside one particular building.

Izuku was first to jump in, of course, and Kirishima followed suit. Shouto remained outside and he used his ice to stabilize the crumbled structure.

"Okay, I've got a woman." Izuku's voice rang through Shouto's earpiece.

"I've got two kids." Kirishima's voice was next.

"The building is stable for now," Shouto said. "But I don't think it will hold on much longer."

"Roger that!"

"I'm on my way out."

Soon enough, five bodies came running out of the damaged building, one of the children in Kirishima's arms sobbing.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, buddy," Kirishima said, trying to comfort the crying boy.

The kid shook his head and pointed up at the building. "Our sister is still inside!"

Shouto blinked and then glanced back up at the building. "The instructors did say there were four people that needed rescuing."

Kirishima looked down at the kid and smiled, but Shouto could tell he was in a hurry.

"No worries, kiddo. It was on the same floor, right?" he asked him. The boy nodded, sticking close to his younger brother next to him.

With that information, Kirishima saluted both Shouto and Izuku and then he rushed towards the front doors of the building.

"Wait! Shouldn't one of us go back in with you?" Izuku called.

"I've got it!" Kirishima said. "I know what floor it was on!"

Then, Kirishima disappeared inside, and all Shouto and Izuku could do was wait, their patience running thin as the seconds ticked by.

Shouto swallowed thickly as he applied more ice to the building. It was almost too easy, especially with the three of them paired up. Why would Aizawa assign them this task that they could easily rescue all four victims?

Something was off. None of the teachers would make this so easy… So, what was their plan?

A rumble in the distance derailed Shouto's train of thought, and suddenly, the ground began to shake.

"They're simulating another earthquake!" Shouto yelled.

Izuku whipped around and stared up at the tall building, watching as pieces began to fall to the ground. His breath hitched and he scrambled towards the front doors.

"Midoriya! Where are you going?!" Shouto called after him.

"I'm going to get Kirishima!" Izuku shouted back. "You keep putting ice on the building!"

"But it's dangerous! What if the building collapses on you?" Shouto asked.

Izuku stopped at the door, turning back around just for a second to look Shouto in the eye.

"We don't leave anyone behind!" Izuku shouted, passion in his eyes.

Shouto felt a prick of guilt in his heart at the implication. He didn't have time to give Izuku a proper explanation as his friend rushed inside. Shouto applied the ice to the side of the building, trying to give them both time to get out.

A few seconds later, Izuku had both Kirishima and the child under his arms as he was jumping out of a window. Shouto quickly created an ice slide for the three of them to safely reach the ground.

When they reached the ground, Shouto dragged them over to the other victims and put up a thick ice barrier, protecting them from the debris that fell.

Once the ground stopped shaking, Shouto and Izuku exchanged a shaken glance before the latter smiled widely, dirt still clinging to his cheeks.

Shouto was baffled at his recklessness that day, but it was thanks to his recklessness that both Kirishima and the child were saved. It would be an exercise that he would never forget.

Plus, their group got an A on the exercise.

* * *

Now, however, it felt as if all of the air had been sucked out of Shouto's lungs.

They had been careful. Everything had been according to plan.

But there was nothing that could have prepared them for what they had just witnessed. In an instant, their cheerful friend was gone.

Shouto felt as if he was back at the training camp, and Bakugou had just slipped out of his fingers. That was all it took—one second and his classmate was gone.

Now, after going through all of the trouble of rescuing Kaminari, they still ended up losing.

Was this how this world worked? No matter how hard someone tried, was it all for nothing?

Izuku wasn't doing any better. His hands were gripping the edge of the dumpster, his whole body wracked with tremors. Shouto could see the tears forming in his eyes but he was biting his lip, battling to keep them down.

Finally, after a moment, he took a shuddering breath, and released his death grip on the dumpster. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and turned around, refusing to meet Shouto's eyes.

"Let's get back," Izuku said.

Shouto's eyes widened. "What?"

Izuku gestured towards his bag. "Kaminari needs these supplies. We have to get back."

He started walking down the same path they took earlier, leaving Shouto stunned in place. He hurried after Izuku once the words had processed through his mind.

"What about Kirishima?" Shouto asked.

Izuku winced and lowered his head. "There's nothing we can do."

Shouto recoiled as if he had been struck. "What? What do you mean by that? Can't we go after them?"

"It's too late," Izuku said. "Once they're arrested, they're put into armored quirk-canceling vans. There's nothing we can do."

Shouto couldn't believe what he was hearing. Izuku, the one who always came up with some stupid idea to get himself hurt for the sake of others, was giving in.

What in the world was going on?

"But there has to be _something_ we can do," Shouto said, exasperated.

"There isn't," Izuku said. "Like I said before. It's too late."

They rounded the corner, only a few blocks down from the hidden base beneath the abandoned hotel. Their conversation was mostly one-sided with Shouto desperately trying to convince Izuku to turn back with him to go after Kirishima, but Izuku's responses were clipped and growing more and more aggressive with each passing moment.

When they finally made it to the base, Shouto could feel his frustration begin to bubble over.

"This isn't how we should do things," Shouto said as they descended the stairs into the basement.

Izuku only sighed and shook his head, moving to the bottom of the stairs to knock on the metallic door six times.

"We can't just sit here! There has to be a way to stop the van before it reaches the prison," Shouto said.

"And what do you propose we do then?" Izuku asked, eyebrows pushed together. "When we stop the van, then what? Ask the officers nicely not to shoot us? Beg for our friend back?"

Shouto snapped his jaw shut at the tone, and he was unable to come up with a response.

"Just let it go, Todoroki," Izuku said sadly. "What's done is done."

The door opened, Sero's smiling face greeting them, but Izuku did not smile. In fact, he barely even looked at Sero as he pushed his way inside.

Shouto grit his teeth and chased after him, grabbing Izuku's shoulder and stopping him before he could get any further.

"That's not good enough," Shouto snapped. "You know damn well that we should do something to help."

Izuku glared at him, not as biting as before. "Well, come up with a plan that will help."

"I'm _trying_ but you're not listening!"

"Because there's nothing we can do!"

The people in the room flinched at their voices, and Shouto had forgotten that they were even there.

Sero was trailing after them after he searched the empty stairwell, his mouth tugged into a sharp frown.

"Uh, guys…" Sero called. "Where's Kirishima?"

Izuku and Shouto both jumped at the question, turning around to see the worried looks on their friends' faces. Izuku swallowed and hunched his shoulders, the backpack rising with his back.

"He was taken," he answered softly.

"What?" Sato said, dumbfounded.

"He was taken?" Hagakure asked. "Do you mean…"

"Yeah," Izuku answered, turning his back on everyone. "He was arrested during the supply recovery."

"What the hell?" Sero asked, his voice quivering.

"Was there nothing you could do?" Momo asked, her eyes watering.

Shouto watched Izuku's back, waiting for him to respond, but the boy remained silent. Shouto's chest felt tight, and he huffed out a frustrated breath to try to loosen it.

"I tried going after him, but Izuku didn't want me to go," Shouto spoke up. He eyed Izuku out of the corner of his eye, noticing his back twitch at the sound of his name on Shouto's tongue. "He said it was too late."

Izuku whipped around, anger still in his eyes. "It _was_ too late!"

Shouto faced him, ready to fight back. "I was ready to chase after him!" he yelled back. "I would've gotten him back if you had just let me go."

"No, you wouldn't have," Izuku said, reigning in his anger and allowing it to simmer down slightly. "You have no idea what these people are capable of."

"I've fought tons of villains back in my world," Shouto said. "They can't be any more difficult than what we're facing here."

"That's where you're wrong!"

Izuku's face was fierce, his hands gripping the straps of his backpack hard until his knuckles turned white.

"Don't forget that this _isn't_ your world!" Izuku yelled. He whirled around and stomped to the far stairwell, his hand yanking it open. "You know nothing of this world, so don't talk as if you understand!"

Izuku disappeared beyond the door, leaving the rest of the room stunned silent.

Shouto's stomach was in knots. Izuku was right about him knowing nothing about this world. Maybe his presence in this world was causing too much strain for the rest of them.

While Shouto hated giving up, he knew his limits. No matter how much he wanted to help Kirishima and the others, he simply did not belong in this broken world.

With a deep breath, Shouto turned around and faced everyone, their worried eyes staring straight back at him. He bowed deeply, letting his bangs hang down to hide his face.

"I apologize for my actions. I will take the blame of Kirishima's arrest," Shouto said.

"Todoroki…" Uraraka whispered.

"I'm really sorry," Shouto added, feeling his eyes sting suddenly. He shut them quickly before any tears could escape. He wouldn't do it. He had no right. "I'm sorry."

Before anyone could say anything else, Shouto turned on his heel and ascended the stairs up to his room. He flopped face-first onto the bed and sighed.

He had made up his mind.

Tomorrow, he would search for a way back home.

* * *

Shouto rose before the sun could peek above the horizon and he gathered up his things. He barely slept the night before, but when he did, he'd hoped that he awake back in the world he belonged. But after the fifth time of awaking in the same, old hotel bed, he gave up on rest and got ready to leave.

If yesterday wasn't a clear sign of his standing in this world, then he didn't know what was. It was obvious that this Izuku was furious with him, and maybe he even blamed Shouto for Kirishima's capture. With those thoughts in mind, he had to get going.

Iida was the only one in the main storage room when Shouto arrived, his glasses pushed up on top of his head and his fingers rubbing his eyes. He was sitting at one of the tables with a book open in front of him, but he looked like he hadn't even looked at it in a while. He glanced at Shouto as he entered the room, blinking in surprise.

"Ah, Todoroki," Iida said, moving his glasses back down to his nose. "You're up early. Couldn't sleep?"

Shouto adjusted the regulators on his wrists, unable to look him in the eye. "Something like that."

He shuffled towards the door, Iida eyeing him carefully. It wasn't until Shouto's hand was on the door that Iida spoke again.

"You're leaving?" he asked from the table, his brows a little scrunched in concern.

Shouto hummed in response. "I need to figure out how to get back home."

"But it's dangerous," Iida said, standing to his feet. "Shouldn't one of us help you?"

Shouto sighed softly and looked back at Iida, his face tight. "I'll only cause you all more trouble if I stay."

Iida approached him, shaking his head. "Don't tell me you're blaming yourself for the incident with Kirishima—"

"I've already made up my mind," Shouto interrupted, and Iida shut his mouth. Shouto winced at his own tone and looked away. "Sorry, Iida. I just can't stay here any longer."

"I understand," Iida said with a nod. He rested a hand on Shouto's shoulder. "Just know that even if you can't find your way, you're always welcome here."

Shouto managed a small smile and nodded back. "Thank you, Iida."

He moved to open the door and Iida caught him before he could leave, his smile gentle but tentative.

"Stay safe, Todoroki," Iida said.

Shouto nodded, giving him a small, "You, too," as he left. Just before he shut the door he glanced back at Iida. "Give Izuku my regards."

He didn't wait for Iida to say any more and he hurried up the steps to open the hatch doors.

It was still a little dark outside, the signs of daybreak barely tainting the sky with a mixture of purples and orange. He closed the hatch doors tightly and quietly and proceeded down the road, not even daring to look back.

Through different alleyways and abandoned buildings, Shouto maneuvered through the city until he reached the spot where it all began—the place where he woke up in this world.

The street was void of any pedestrians, and Shouto assumed that it was because the strict curfew that Momo had told him about. There were still some police here and there, but Shouto avoided them with ease, and he found himself going back to that same alleyway as the other night.

He searched up and down that alleyway for any clues or even a residue in case that villain's quirk left something behind. But, unfortunately, he found nothing. It was just an ordinary alleyway.

Shouto sighed and rubbed his sore shoulder. While the medicine had kicked in, it still had a slight ache. He glanced down at his open palms and summoned both his fire and his ice, creating a small flame in the left hand while the right hand sparkled with a small ice cube.

At least his quirk was still working well.

"Okay, stay close. We're almost home."

Shouto whirled around at the sound and readied his ice, his entire arm frosting over. In the distance, he saw two shadowed figures coming towards him.

He was about to summon his flames as well, but he stopped when he saw that one of the figures was short and wearing a dress. It was a little girl, and with her was a man that Shouto presumed to be her father.

"Keep your bag over your shoulder, okay? We've just gotta go—"

The man froze when he noticed Shouto and put out his arm to shield the little girl. The girl looked frightened, ducking behind the man and clutching onto his pants.

"Ah—" The man took a step back, forcing the girl to back up a step. A rock lifted from the ground and landed in the man's fist. "Please. We don't want any trouble."

Shouto blinked at him as more rocks moved around the man's feet. Did he have some sort of earth-moving quirk?

The girl behind him was shaking in place, tears in her eyes, but a few pebbles were floating around her hands, as well.

Shouto sighed and let his ice melt from his arm, his stance relaxing. He put up his hands and walked over to them peacefully.

"It's okay. I have a quirk," Shouto said.

The man and the girl looked surprised for a moment, their rocks pausing in the air. Shouto opened up his palms flat to them, just as he did earlier, and lit a small flame in one hand and froze a square cube in the other.

The girl's eyes widened, the fear leaving her face, while the man's shoulders sagged in relief. Both of them dropped their rocks, the man bowing to him.

"I'm so sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to threaten you."

"Uh, n-no," Shouto said putting up his hands, letting the flame and ice disappear.

He still has yet to overcome his social awkwardness when it came to civilians. It was something he was working hard on, especially since he wanted to be nothing like his father—the brooding, angry, and unapproachable hero. He wanted to become a hero that people could look up to and come to for any problem.

Izuku had told him once that he had gotten better, but there was still so much more to improve on.

"It's okay. Really," Shouto said, and the man straightened his back. "Do you guys have a safe place to live?"

The man frowned a little. "It's a basement in an old apartment complex. There are a few of us there. "My daughter and I are trying to get some food for everyone."

Shouto frowned. So it was like this all throughout the city, too. It was heartbreaking to watch.

"Do you always have to go out and get food?" Shouto asked. He glanced to the man's daughter. "Don't you have older people to go out with you?"

The man smiled softly, understanding Shouto's hidden question. "We have two others that are my age, but they're both very sick."

"Sick?" Shouto asked, feeling his stomach clench.

The man nodded. "They both were injured in a scuffle with police the other day, and their wounds became infected. Now they're both down with a fever."

Shouto bit his lip, thinking about how serious the group had been about getting medical supplies. It was no wonder they were desperate to go out to get some. There was no telling when one of their own would fall ill.

"Did you find antibiotics?" Shouto asked, feeling a little concerned.

The man frowned, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. "Not quite. We've got medicine to help with fever, and some anti-bacterial cream for the cuts, but no antibiotics." He patted the girl's back gently. "I'm hoping that this will be enough for now."

Shouto thought back to the containers that he had went to the night before. Kirishima had mentioned that there were probably pills, but they were locked up tightly and he couldn't get to them.

He vaguely wondered if the group had such medicines back at their hideout…

"Well, we should get going," the man said suddenly, breaking Shouto's thoughts.

Shouto watched as the man grabbed his daughter's hand and tugged her along, giving Shouto a small bow as they passed. The girl also bowed her head as she passed.

Shouto watched them leave, his brows furrowing. His chest was tightening again, and it felt like his heart was going to burst.

_"We don't leave anyone behind!"_

Of course, Shouto thought. Izuku wouldn't let anyone die.

But how would Izuku save these people in this situation? Where all hope was lost? Where getting the medicines were impossible unless you run the extremely high risk of getting captured?

Shouto's hands curled into frustrated fists. He could feel his core temperature rising as his heart fluttered with righteous anger.

Izuku wouldn't let them die.

So neither should he.

The sudden thought overtook him, and he whirled around to see the man and his daughter before they turned down the corner.

"Wait!" Shouto called, hurrying to meet them.

The two startled and whipped around. Their jumpiness made Shouto's stomach sink, but he pushed those thoughts aside for now.

"I think I can get antibiotics for you," Shouto said.

The man's eyes widened almost comically, and his jaw dropped open.

"You… You can?" he asked.

"Yes," Shouto said, thinking back to the storage units on the other side of the fence. "I think I can help."

* * *

Shouto somewhat remembered where the container was in the field beyond the fence. Rays of sunlight started to shine from beneath the horizon by the time the three of them arrived, and Shouto could see the path and the long rows of containers beyond the chain-linked fence.

It was completely empty—not a police officer in sight. But Shouto knew that one could show up in a matter a seconds without any warning whatsoever. He had to be stealthy and quick.

He turned to the man and his daughter, feeling a quiver of butterflies in his stomach.

"Stay back here," Shouto said, motioning towards the very same dumpster that he and Izuku had hidden behind the day before. "I'll try to be as quick as possible."

"Are you sure this is okay?" The man held his daughter's shoulders, his face scrunched up. "This seems… dangerous."

Shouto hesitated, thinking of Kirishima's frightened face. "It's not the safest plan. But it's your safest bet if you want your friends to live."

The man closed his mouth and didn't protest any further.

Shouto took that as his cue to scale the fence. He hopped over with ease and quietly made his way towards the center of the yard where he, Kirishima, and Izuku were scouring the other night. He glanced around every corner and kept watching his back, making sure every move was calculated. He had to be incredibly careful this time around, especially since he was alone.

Another turn found him at the same container, the one with a red cross on the outside. He glanced around more and quickly moved to the back to pry the door open. It creaked open slowly, and Shouto was relieved to see that it was still full of boxes.

He took a step forward to go inside, ready to search, when a pair of hands roughly shoved him inside. He stumbled forward, his left arm igniting in a flame as he whirled around, ready to strike.

"W-W-Wait! It's me, it's me!"

Shouto's flames doused at the familiar voice, his eyes widening.

"Izuku?" Shouto whispered. "What are you doing here?"

Izuku glanced outside the container for a moment, and then sent an icy glare back at Shouto.

"That should be _my_ line," Izuku said. "Is it really wise to try to get supplies from here for those people?"

Shouto blinked at him. "Have you been following me?"

"I only caught up to you just now," Izuku said. He folded his arms across his chest and glanced away. "Iida said you left this morning."

Shouto sighed and turned on his heel, lighting a flame in his palm so he could read the labels on the boxes.

"And?" Shouto said, moving onto a new box.

Izuku hesitated. "And… well, you shouldn't be out here on your own. It's not safe."

Shouto glanced over his shoulder. "_You're_ telling _me_ that? The guy who only works alone?"

Izuku's eyes narrowed, his arms tightening against his torso. "I've already told you. They can't arrest me since I'm quirkless. But _you,"_ Izuku lowered his eyebrows, "could still be captured."

Shouto huffed out a dry laugh and continued his search, coming across a box with a list of medicines on the side. He formed a fist and coated his arm in thick, hard ice that came to a flat point.

"Sounds like you're worried about me," Shouto said, jamming the point of his ice underneath the lid of the box.

Izuku flinched but remained quiet. When Shouto turned back to glance at him, Izuku had lowered his gaze to the ground, his face a little crestfallen. Shouto sighed when Izuku remained silent and he got back to work on opening up the box.

It was a moment of Shouto struggling with the box before Izuku spoke again, his voice ringing out just as the lid popped open.

"So what if I am?" Izuku asked softly. "Worried, I mean."

Shouto peered at him again, letting the ice of his arm slide off and onto the floor in a puddle. Izuku's current mannerisms were so familiar that it almost made Shouto want to rush over by his side.

But he knew that this Izuku would only push him away.

Shouto turned back to the box and searched through the different pill bottles.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Shouto said. "It's in your nature to worry about others."

Izuku stayed quiet, his foot tapping on the ground impatiently. Shouto found the antibiotics and pocketed a few bottles, leaving the box open. He stood to his feet and faced Izuku.

"I've got what I need. So I'll give the medicine to that group and then I'll be out of your hair," Shouto said, moving to walk past Izuku.

Izuku sighed as he passed. "You're not in my hair, Todoroki."

"It was partially my fault that Kirishima got caught, right?" Shouto asked, feeling his stomach twisting at his own words. He moved out of the container, Izuku in tow. "And I put your friends in danger. That makes me a nuisance to you."

"Todoroki, that's unfair," Izuku mumbled.

Shouto shut the container quietly, surveying the area. When the coast was clear, he looked at Izuku. The sun had broken the horizon, orange hues hitting both of their faces. It made Izuku's face glow, his freckles standing out on his cheeks.

"You're right that I don't know anything about this world. And you're right that I don't belong in it," Shouto said. "But you're wrong when it comes to helping others."

He moved past Izuku and headed towards the fence. Once they arrived, Shouto looked back at Izuku with a stern look and his chest aflame.

"We don't leave anyone behind," Shouto said.

Shouto watched Izuku's eyes widen before he turned around and scaled the fence, the pills tucked close to his chest. He made it to the ground and hurried over to the dumpster where the man and his daughter were anxiously waiting. Izuku trailed behind silently.

"I found some. These should help your friends," Shouto said, handing the man a few pill bottles.

The man's eyes watered as he took them from Shouto, his back automatically bending in a bow.

"Thank you. Thank you so much," he said, fighting back tears. "I don't know how I could ever repay you."

Shouto shook his head. "No need. I'm just doing what I can to help."

After those parting words, the man and his daughter bowed and thanked Shouto again and again before they quickly hurried off down the street. Shouto swallowed down the nerves that had been rumbling in his stomach, and his shoulders sagged.

The whole morning had started off on a stressful note.

"You… You risked getting caught for strangers," Izuku noted softly. "Even though you have a quirk."

Shouto glanced at him over his shoulder. "Of course. That's what I'm studying to do back in my world."

Saving others at the risk of his own safety was the most important code of being a hero.

"Right…" Izuku said. "You're a hero."

"Hero-in-training…"

Izuku huffed out a small laugh that pricked at Shouto's heart. It was too familiar, and it only made Shouto want to go home even faster.

"Right. You're not there, yet," Izuku said. "But you're already acting like one."

Shouto stayed quiet, unsure of what to say. Sure, he was close to being an official hero, but he still had a lot to learn. He wasn't even close to being the hero he wanted to be.

"Well, I should get going," Shouto said, looking out at the street. "I've got to figure out a way home."

"A-Ah, wait."

Izuku's hand reached out to grab Shouto's arm, holding him back. Shouto glanced back at him curiously, and then he schooled his expression.

"Don't go off on your own," Izuku said.

Shouto quirked a brow. "And why not?"

Izuku's face flushed slightly, his brows pushing together as he struggled with his next words. But he squeezed Shouto's arm and did not let go.

"It's as you said. Going off alone isn't safe," Izuku said. "So stay with us. All of us."

Shouto hesitated, his face falling into a light grimace. "But what about—"

"I'll help you!" Izuku interrupted, his passion shining through. "I'll help you find a way back home!"

Shouto blinked at him, his eyes wide. "You will?"

"Yes," Izuku said, his face now determined. "Just… don't go off by yourself. Okay? It's not safe…"

Shouto watched as Izuku's resolve started to crumble as embarrassment caused his face to flush. He averted his eyes away, but his grip on Shouto's arm was still firm. It made the unsettling feeling in Shouto's chest fade away, his heart finally relieved of the pain he had felt since he had arrived.

"Fine," Shouto said, making Izuku jump in surprise. "I'll stick with you."

Izuku blinked at him. "R-Really?"

"Yes," Shouto said. "But if we're going to work together, we need to make a deal."

Izuku let go of Shouto's arm. "A deal?"

"Yep," Shouto said, turning towards the nearby alleyway and started to walk down it. Izuku hurried to catch up by his side, his green eyes peering up at him curiously. "If I can't go off on my own, then neither can you."

Izuku sputtered, his jaw dropping. "But—"

"Take it or leave it."

Izuku hesitated, the two of them walking in silence back towards the base. Finally, he put his hands in his pockets and kicked at a rock.

"Fine," Izuku murmured.

Shouto's lips curled at the edges. Perhaps he could be a good hero someday.

If he could save this Izuku, then he would have all the training he would ever need.

* * *

The heavy shackles on his wrists were beginning to chafe.

"All right, you quirk bastards! Out you go!"

Kirishima sniffled as he was pushed out of his cell, almost falling on his face in the process. He stumbled, knocking into someone in front of him, who growled at him in response. Kirishima squeaked and kept his distance from the other prisoners.

The day had been long in the prison cell. Kirishima could hear the screams of all of the other quirked people from their cells, and it was loud and miserable. He missed his hotel bed. And Kaminari's funny jokes. And the baths, _gosh,_ he missed the baths.

Now, the officers were leading groups of the prisoners out of their current cells to transfer them into new ones. Apparently, the guards had arrested more people overnight, and their block was getting full. They needed the space, and Kirishima thought he was going to be sick.

"Get moving, you!"

One of the officers shoved Kirishima forward into the back of armored vehicle, causing him to fall face forward into someone's lap.

"The hell…" the person above him grumbled, making Kirishima squeak again.

"S-Sorry!" Kirishima apologized, scrambling to get up. "I didn't mean to—"

He stopped when he peered up at the man's face, his voice dying on his tongue.

"What the hell are you staring at, punk? Hah?" he grumbled, red eyes piercing.

Kirishima couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"B… Bakugou?"

The man in front of him jumped, his anger dissipating in a split second.

"Kirishima?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

* * *

"B… Bakugou?"

"Kirishima?"

The two stared at each other in shock until other prisoners pushed Kirishima forward, making him stumble again. Bakugou reached out and grabbed Kirishima's collar, yanking him forward until he sat down in the empty space next to him.

"Watch it, idiot," Bakugou said. "Stop floppin' all over the place."

"Ah," Kirishima squeaked, pressing his side to Bakugou's. "S-Sorry."

The back doors of the van slammed shut, and Bakugou huffed out an aggravated breath and closed his eyes for a few tense seconds. When he opened his eyes, he turned back to Kirishima and gazed down at the hard shackles on his wrists.

"So you got your ass captured, too, huh?" Bakugou asked.

Kirishima felt his eyes tear up at hearing the familiar voice ringing in his ear. He sniffled, desperate to hold the tears back, and he glanced down at his wrists pitifully.

"Sorry," Kirishima muttered, his voice shaking. His arms began to tremble, as well, making his shackles rattle.

Bakugou was quiet for a moment, his body still. Then, he released a sigh and moved his gaze towards the other passengers.

"Whatever. Don't beat yourself up over it," he grumbled. He paused, his eyes flitting over to him nervously. "You hurt?"

Kirishima shook his head wordlessly, the lump in his throat choking him nearly to death. Bakugou sighed at his answer but his face looked relieved.

"Okay. Well, no use crying over it, so get ahold of yourself," Bakugou all but growled.

Kirishima inhaled slowly and nodded, straightening his back. He sniffed in the last of his snot and tried to steel himself. His body still trembled but he at least had his heart under control.

"Okay. I'm good," Kirishima said after a moment of deep breaths.

"Good. 'Cause I'll need your help on this next part," Bakugou said, looking down at his wrists.

Kirishima whipped his head over to stare at him, eyes wide.

"W-What?" he squeaked.

The van suddenly shook to life and started to move, making both Kirishima and Bakugou lean to the side. Bakugou growled and his movements became more frantic as he struggled against his shackles.

"Bakugou, what're you doing?" Kirishima asked.

Bakugou kept fiddling with the shackles, the muscles in his arms straining.

"What does it look like?" he grunted under his breath. "I'm busting the hell out of here."

Kirishima's jaw dropped. "_Huh?!"_

"Shut it, dumbass!" Bakugou hissed. He glanced around to see if the other prisoners noticed and then locked eyes with Kirishima. "I've been working on these shackles all day and I've almost got 'em loose. The quirk-canceling serum is pretty much out of my system, too."

Kirishima grimaced. "But what about the van? Isn't it quirk-canceling?"

Bakugou rolled his eyes and sighed. "You moron. It's not the vans! It's these damn things!"

He shook his wrists for emphasis, making the shackles clatter against each other. Kirishima blinked at him in confusion and then glanced down at his own wrists.

"The shackles cancel the quirks?" Kirishima asked.

"Yes, dumbass! Aren't you paying attention? They're coated in a thin serum that cancels our quirks for the time being, but everyone just thinks it's the van itself," Bakugou growled. He glanced down at the shackles and twisted his wrists painfully. "I've just got to get them off of me and then we're blowing this shitty van up."

"B-Blow up?!" Kirishima asked, paling at the thought.

"Damnit, do you _ever_ stay quiet?" Bakugou asked, twisting his wrists in the opposite direction. It cracked a little, straining against the pressure, but the shackles still didn't budge. "Damn! Help me out, would ya?"

"Ah," Kirishima peeped. He scooted closer and peered down at the shackles, his eyes widening when he saw just how raw Bakugou's wrists had become. "Bakugou, this looks…"

"Ignore it," Bakugou grumbled. He stilled for a moment and glanced down at his wrists, a resigned scowl on his face. He took a deep breath and glanced up at Kirishima. "Now listen. I'm going to try to slide my hand through one of these."

"But your hands are too wide," Kirishima noted softly.

"I know," Bakugou said. "That's why you're going to have to break my thumb."

Kirishima's jaw dropped in shock. He shook his head, the tears springing back into his eyes.

"N-No, I—"

"Do you want to get out of here, or not?" Bakugou growled. He moved so his left hand was closer to Kirishima, his thumb pointed upward.

Kirishima swallowed and glanced down at Bakugou's hand with a nervous expression on his face. He looked back up at Bakugou and gave him a pleading look.

"Do I really have to?" he asked.

Bakugou rolled his eyes. "Fine! I'm just gonna smash it against this wall then!"

"No!" Kirishima said, grabbing Bakugou's wrists and pulling them into his lap. "I'll do it."

He took a deep breath and maneuvered his cuffed wrists so that both of his hands could grasp Bakugou's thumb.

"Alright. If you're going to do it, make sure you dislocate it, too," Bakugou said. He took a deep breath and held it in his chest, sitting up straight and turning his gaze away. Then, in a small voice, "And make it quick, would ya?"

Kirishima inhaled through his nose and squeezed Bakugou's thumb in between his hands. He steeled himself but he still felt a tear beginning to slide down his cheek.

"Okay. On the count of three," Kirishima said.

Bakugou braced himself, closing his eyes.

"One. Two… Three!"

* * *

"So there was no blast? Or explosion?"

"No. It was fairly calm when I passed out."

"Hm… Then what about any sludge? Did she have sludge?"

"Not really. She had purple smoke coming from her fingers though… I think."

"You _think?"_

Shouto sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. It had been a long, exhausting day.

As soon as Izuku took on the task of helping Shouto with his wild predicament, he went into overdrove, and his studious habits came roaring back.

The day was spent with Izuku questioning and taking notes and thinking and dragging him halfway around the city. They even went back to the same alleyway where Shouto first woke up, and Izuku searched up and down on his hands and knees looking for who knows what.

Now, the two were back at the base, Izuku scribbling on a notepad. Several pages had been filled out since they began their investigation.

"Everything was fuzzy," Shouto commented. "We were fighting. There was a scuffle. And all of a sudden, I was pulling you away and—" He stopped when Izuku quirked a brow. "I mean, the Izuku from _my_ world. And then she was digging her nails into my skull."

Izuku blinked at him silently, his eyes scanning his face for a moment. He put his notepad down and stood up, rounding the table. Shouto sat stiffly in his chair when Izuku got close, looking up at him with a weird look on his face.

Then, without another word, Izuku lifted up his hands and started carding through Shouto's hair.

"W-What—" Shouto flinched and recoiled, pushing Izuku's hands away and looking up at him in surprise.

Izuku rolled his eyes and moved his hands back onto Shouto's head, his face moving closer to inspect.

"Just hold still," Izuku said, and his fingers gently moved through his two-toned hair.

Shouto bit his lip and sat stiff as a board, his shoulders rising a bit.

Touch had always been a difficult balance. His classmates were more touchy-feely with each other, often tackling each other or wrapping an arm around the shoulder. Izuku would clap him on the shoulder when he was worried, and All Might would often give out hugs when he felt especially proud.

But this setting of Izuku combing through his hair felt much more intimate, and Shouto's body tensed up like a rubber band ready to snap. His muscles went rigid at the unfamiliar feeling and he hunched over, putting his clenched fists in his lap.

No one, not even his Izuku, had touched him like this since his mother.

"You said she grabbed your head, right?"

Shouto hummed in response and tried to focus on the task at hand. Izuku was looking for any evidence that could help him get back home.

Relax, Shouto. Relax.

"Maybe she left a fingernail or a cut or… Oh."

Just as soon as Shouto started to feel his shoulder droop, Izuku had spoken up again. Shouto snapped his eyes up at Izuku, and instead of him looking through his hair, Izuku was now staring at Shouto's face.

Shouto went still. Was he…?

Izuku's fingers gently pushed his red bangs up to see more of his forehead, and now green eyes were roving over Shouto's face. His expression wilted from passionate to something more somber, and his eyebrows upturned sadly.

"This looks like it was painful," Izuku said softly.

Ah, Shouto thought. He was referring to the scar.

Shouto averted his gaze and hummed. "It was."

Excruciating was more like it. The worst pain he had ever felt in his life.

And not just physically.

"Oh," Izuku said absently, daring to move his hand towards his face. He stopped, however, and glanced at Shouto's eyes as if asking for permission. "Um…"

Shouto locked eyes with him, his breath frozen in his chest. Izuku looked sincere, and if he were anything like the Izuku from his world, then he wouldn't do anything maliciously.

Shouto closed his eyes and released a strained breath.

He was really making himself vulnerable.

"Go ahead," Shouto said, thankful his voice didn't crack.

Izuku hesitated for the briefest of moments before his hand moved to touch Shouto's face, his fingertips tracing the edge of the scar.

"This didn't happen when the villain attacked you, did it?" Izuku asked.

"No," Shouto answered, voice tight.

Izuku hummed, and Shouto could feel a slight pressure under his eye. He didn't have any nerve endings left to feel the touch, but he could still sense Izuku's fingers padding down his cheeks.

"Right. It doesn't look recent," Izuku said.

"It's not," Shouto responded. He swallowed. "I got it when I was a child."

Izuku breathed sharply through his nose as if he tried to muffle a gasp. His hand was frozen on Shouto's cheek. Shouto opened his eyes to peer up at him and saw the look of pure horror etched onto Izuku's face. It was almost identical to the look he received their first year before the sports festival.

"You were a child?" Izuku asked.

"Mmn," Shouto hummed. "I was around six."

Izuku frowned hard and his teeth gnawed on his bottom lip. He scanned Shouto's face one more.

"What happened?" Izuku asked.

Shouto hesitated and averted his gaze. He was much less blunt and frustrated than he was when he first told Izuku of the incident nearly three years ago. He had even spoken to his mother about it several times and he finally found a way to put it all behind him.

He didn't need to drag this Izuku into this.

"Boiling water splashed on my face," Shouto answered after a moment.

Izuku's eyes widened. He scanned over Shouto's face, his thumb reaching up to press the skin underneath his blue eye.

"And your eyesight… It's poor in this eye, isn't it?" Izuku asked.

Shouto snapped his eyes back to Izuku. "How did you know that?"

Izuku finally took his hands from his face, and Shouto's chest almost bottomed out. He suddenly felt too cold without Izuku's warmth. His cheeks warmed at the thought. How embarrassing.

"I could tell by your mannerisms," Izuku said, picking up his notepad and flipping back a few pages. "When you fought, you were slower to attack the enemies on your left side."

He pulled up a page of the notepad and Shouto could see a rough sketch of himself on the page with lines drawn to specific parts of his body. Shouto blinked, staring blankly at the page in front of him.

It seemed that this Izuku liked to keep stats, as well.

"You… You noticed that?" Shouto asked, his hand reaching up to touch the skin underneath his eye.

It wasn't something he ever told anyone, not even the Izuku from his world. But his stomach twisted with the sudden realization that if this Izuku could figure out just from observing him for a few days, then the Izuku back home had known for years.

"Yeah. I kind of figured that there was an issue with your left, but it all makes sense now," Izuku said.

Shouto lowered his brows. "Is it that big of a problem?"

Izuku shrugged, tapping the tip of his pen to his lip as he stared down at his page.

"Not really. It was just something I noticed," Izuku said. "You're a great fighter, though."

Shouto hummed, dropping his hand from his face. If this Izuku didn't seem too bothered with his partial blindness, then maybe the Izuku he knew wouldn't be too bothered, either. Perhaps even his teachers could help come up with a solution to the problem.

"Hey, Deku! Isn't it time for you to patrol?"

Uraraka's voice rang from the hallway, and Izuku jumped to his feet, his eyes landing on the clock on the wall.

"Oh, shoot. She's right," Izuku said, moving to put his jacket on. "I've gotta get going."

Shouto stood up from his seat and stood in front of Izuku to block his path. He folded his arms across his chest and stared down at him.

"Haven't you forgotten our deal?" Shouto asked.

Izuku sighed and rolled his eyes, his cheerful attitude diminishing as slight irritation appeared on his face.

"Fine, fine," Izuku said, walking past him and heading towards the door. "Let's get to it, then."

Shouto glanced back at Izuku's notepad left on the table, his stats still on full display. The small sketch of himself included his two-tone hair as well as the scar covering the left side of his face. His fingers reached up and touched his cheek, feeling the uneven skin that marred his features.

He shivered slightly as he recalled Izuku's delicate touch. It wasn't anything big, but the action had shaken him to his core.

It reminded him of his mother.

_She's making you weak!_

Shouto nearly choked on a breath, and he quickly took his hand away from his face as if it were on fire. Even now, as he had tried to escape his father's hold around the neck of his past, he still struggled to break free.

"Hey, are you going to uphold your end of the deal, or not?" Izuku called from the door.

Shouto exhaled shakily and shook the thoughts away for now. He steeled his expression and straightened his back before turning around to meet Izuku at the door.

* * *

The patrol was slower-paced than Shouto had anticipated.

Since Izuku didn't have a quirk, it made it difficult to just jump from rooftop to rooftop. Izuku did show off his incredible scaling abilities, but Shouto would simply leap across to the other side by using his ice, making in half the time.

"You're such a show-off," Izuku said with a small chuckle as he pulled his upper body up on the edge of the roof. "You gonna help me?"

Shouto folded his arms across his chest and quirked an amused brow. "You said at the beginning that you were independent and that you didn't need a babysitter."

Izuku released an exhausted groan and tried to hoist himself up, but his arms were trembling from the strain of scaling four buildings in a row.

Shouto rolled his eyes and grabbed Izuku's arm, yanking him up and onto the roof. Izuku stumbled on his feet and held onto his knees, panting heavily.

"Geez, you're tougher than you look," Izuku said.

Shouto's brow twitched. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know," Izuku said, and he motioned his hand in a vague gesture and Shouto tilted his head.

"You just gestured to all of me."

Izuku waved his hand in the air. "Whatever. It's been a few hours, so let's take a break."

He moved to the edge of the building and sat down, his chest still moving rapidly from the strenuous exercise.

Shouto followed him and sat down next to him. He gazed out at the city, watching as the populated area lit up as the sun started to set.

They were still lingering in the dark portion of the city—the abandoned sector. Izuku had told him that he figured the police would stop coming into the abandoned sector since the rest of the city was full of quirkless people, but he was wrong. Police still patrolled the area and still captured quirked people on a daily basis.

But… even with the flaws, Shouto would admit that the view was still beautiful.

"Nice, isn't it?" Izuku asked, and when Shouto looked over he saw Izuku looking at him.

"Mmn," Shouto hummed. "It's crazy to think that this city is so corrupt."

"Yeah," Izuku's smile turned sad. "But it wasn't always like this."

"It wasn't?" Shouto asked hesitantly.

Izuku shook his head and looked back at the city. "It was full of heroes. All of my classmates wanted to become one. But everything started to change once Prime Minister Mori came into power."

"Mori?" Shouto asked, quirking a brow. "That name doesn't sound familiar."

"Mmn. That's probably where our worlds start to differ," Izuku said. "Anyway. He had UA torn down. And then when I was eight, they started to arrest all sorts of people."

"You mean just people with quirks?" Shouto asked.

Izuku 's smile faded completely, his eyes shimmering slightly. "Yeah. Just those who had quirks."

Izuku's gaze looked vacant as they glossed over, and Shouto assumed he was thinking back to his time as a child, when this world began to fall apart.

"No one explained why quirks became illegal. All we knew was that Mori wanted them all locked up," Izuku said. "My mom took me out of school, and we ended up just hiding out in our apartment for a while.

"Then, one day, Mori wanted to search out all of the buildings for any people with a quirk and arrest them all," Izuku started, his voice low. "It was bad. There were riots and gunshots and explosions and fires… It was like the end of the world."

Izuku fiddled with the hem of his jacket, looking a bit distraught and stricken. Shouto felt a little helpless. He was unsure if this Izuku would appreciate any sort of comfort. Not that Shouto would be good at giving comfort, anyway.

"So my mom took me and decided to get us somewhere safe. We lived next to Kacchan's family, so they came with us," Izuku continued after a moment. "I remember police officers with quirks guiding us to a secure hideout. We were almost there, and Mom assured us that we would be safe once we got inside."

Izuku's hands curled into fists.

"But we were ambushed," Izuku said.

Shouto's breath hitched inside of his chest and he held it there painfully. He felt that even the smallest of breaths could cause the whole building to crumble.

"Kacchan's parents used their quirks as a distraction to let us get to safety. They couldn't get away, but we managed to escape," Izuku said, his lips wobbling slightly. "My mom and I looked after Kacchan after that day."

Shouto swallowed and finally found some air so he could breathe. Everything was so tight and he tugged at the collar of his costume.

"We stayed at the hideout for almost a year or so. That's where we met most of the people back at the base, like Iida and Uraraka," Izuku said. He paused, taking a deep breath and sighing. "But the peace didn't last."

Shouto winced. "What happened?"

Izuku hesitated, his face looking more tired than anything. He took a deep breath and gazed up at the sky longingly.

"The hideout was infiltrated, and all of the adults used their quirks to give us kids time to escape," Izuku said. "Even my mom, she…"

He almost choked on a sob, and a tear rolled down over his freckled cheek. He whispered out a strained apology and wiped his face. He sniffed and calmed his breaths.

"I never saw my mom again," Izuku admitted softly.

"Izuku…" Shouto whispered, reaching out his hand.

"I'm fine," Izuku assured, putting up a hand. He looked at Shouto and gave a soft smile. "I'm getting to a happier part."

Shouto's brows scrunched up in worry but he dropped his hand back by his side. He watched as Izuku collected himself and wiped off the remaining tears.

"When we escaped, we found some new faces along the way," Izuku said. He smiled at Shouto. "One of them was a small boy with two-toned hair and two different colored eyes."

Shouto's eyes widened and he pointed to himself. "Me?"

Izuku chuckled. "Well, this world's version of you, anyway," he laughed. He glanced up at the sky again and his expression turned somber. "Todoroki was wandering by himself on the streets. Really malnourished and dying for some water. I couldn't just let him go."

Shouto smiled.

Typical. It was a very Izuku thing to do.

"What are you smiling about?" Izuku asked.

"Nothing," Shouto answered, schooling his face.

Izuku squinted at him for a moment and then turned his head away.

"Anyway, we took him in and he became a part of our group. And for the next few years, our small gang drifted from place to place to find a good spot to hide," Izuku said. "When we were about twelve years old, we came across the hotel. It was abandoned and a little old, but we made do with it."

Izuku glanced back to Shouto and smiled softly, his eyes looking sleepy.

"We've been there ever since," he concluded.

Shouto blinked at him, in awe of his story. All of his problems with his stupid old man seemed so miniscule in comparison. He felt a strange sense of guilt in the bottom of his stomach at the thought.

"So… you guys have survived on your own all this time?" Shouto asked.

"Yeah. It was… tough. Especially since we had to find food and secure the place." Izuku paused, his mouth falling. "Several of our friends were captured along the way. People like Uraraka and Kaminari could go out and police wouldn't look at them. But when people like Ashido or Shoji went out…"

"It was obvious that they had a quirk," Shouto said.

Izuku nodded. "Exactly. That's why we stayed in groups to keep each other safe when we went out to get food," he commented. He sighed, his face looking frustrated. "But then the government came up with an app that detects quirks in certain people, and it was free for everyone to download on their phones. It didn't matter anymore if they looked like quirkless people."

Shouto hummed, thinking back to the people who hurt Kaminari. They had mentioned something about scanning for a quirk on Izuku. Now it made sense. The government was using their own people to capture those who had quirks.

But why?

"Ah, Kacchan got so angry," Izuku said with a fond smile. "He stormed out one day when a few of ours got captured. I tried to stop him, but he was so stubborn."

Izuku lifted up a hand and rubbed his own cheek, his smile still on his face.

"He has an excellent right hook. Nearly knocked a tooth out," Izuku said shakily.

Shouto felt his eye twitch but he kept quiet. Their relationship had always been complicated, so it wasn't a surprise that it was complicated in this world, too.

"Anyway. He went in with his explosions blazing and he tried to blow up a police van," Izuku said.

"I'm guessing that didn't go well for him?" Shouto asked, already knowing the answer.

"Not at all," Izuku said with a sad chuckle. "He got captured, too."

Shouto frowned, trying to fit the pieces together. Something still seemed a bit off.

"What… What about the Todoroki from this world?" Shouto asked.

Izuku's happy demeanor suddenly vanished and his face hardened.

"What about him?" he asked, voice a little rigid.

"What happened to him? I'm assuming he was captured, too, right?" Shouto asked.

Izuku said nothing for a moment. It was as if a switch had been turned, and an invisible wall suddenly separated them. He had turned back into his frustrated, angry self that Shouto had met a few days prior.

Shouto held his breath in his chest. He really hoped he didn't just undo all of the progress he had made with Izuku over the past day.

"Todoroki…" Izuku started, making Shouto jump. "He… Well, he—"

Suddenly, a loud explosion cut Izuku's sentence off, and the two of them leapt to their feet. They quickly searched for the source of the explosion, and when they saw smoke in the distance, they started to move.

"What the hell was that?" Shouto asked, creating a path of ice to the next rooftop.

"No clue," Izuku said, following behind him. "But someone could be in trouble."

They hurried over to the next building and began their search for the source when another explosion shook the surrounding buildings.

"That one was closer," Shouto said.

Izuku looked a little on edge and he hurried towards the edge of the building, looking over the side. After a moment of searching, he gasped.

"What is it?" Shouto asked, hurrying by his side.

"Look!" Izuku said, pointing down to the street below.

Shouto peered down below, trying to use his one good eye to see in the dimmed road. There were two people running from police. One had black hair, the other blonde and…

Shouto's heart jumped. It was Kirishima and Bakugou.

"It's Kacchan! And Kirishima!" Izuku shouted. He jumped over the edge of the building and started to scale down. "C'mon! We've got to help them!"

Shouto hurried after him, but instead of climbing down, he created a long slide of ice that reached the street below. He scooped up Izuku around his waist and hoisted him over his shoulder.

"W-Wha—Hey!" Izuku squeaked.

Shouto balanced on his ice and skated down, keeping Izuku tight against his shoulder. Izuku held on for dear life.

Once they reached the street below, Shouto let Izuku down.

"Alright. Let's find them before—"

Another explosion cut them off, and before they could even react, the two people in question came barreling around the corner.

"Damn it, you idiot! Keep up!" Bakugou's voice rang out first.

"I'm trying!" Kirishima yelled.

Izuku touched Shouto's shoulder. "It's them!"

Shouto glanced in the direction they were running from and saw a horde of police officers chasing after them.

"They've brought company," Shouto said. "You get their attention. I'll handle the police."

"What?! Wait!"

Izuku called after him, but Shouto summoned his ice and climbed the nearby building, sliding unsuspectingly towards the police officers. With a deep breath in, he closed his hand into a fist and readied his ice.

* * *

Izuku groaned as he watched Shouto hurry off in the distance. He wanted to pull his own hair out at his stubbornness, but he had a job to do.

With a heavy sigh, he hurried towards Kacchan and Kirishima, waving his hands in the air.

"Hey, over here! Kacchan! Kirishima!" Izuku called.

Both of them stumbled to a stop, eyes wide when they saw him.

"Deku?" Kacchan called, bewildered.

"Midoriya!" Kirishima called.

Izuku's eyes watered. It was so good to see them both alive and unharmed.

"What the hell are you doing out here, you moron?!" Kacchan called, turning his head back to the police that were quickly gaining on them. "You're going to get yourself captured!"

"Nevermind that," Izuku said, hurrying to their sides. "We've got to get you guys to safety and—"

He stopped short when he saw their hands. Kirishima was bound by shackles while Kacchan had managed to slip one off of his left hand. His thumb on his free hand was mottled and swollen.

"Kacchan," Izuku breathed. "What happened—"

"I thought we had to get to safety, jackass!" Kacchan yelled. "We need to go before—"

"Freeze or we'll shoot!"

The three of them whirled around to see police standing behind them, helmets on their heads and guns drawn. Kacchan was the first to move, lifting up his left hand as sparks flew from his palm.

"You wanna go, assholes? Hah?!" Kacchan sneered. "Well, come on! I'll take you all out right here!"

"Bakugou!" Kirishima squeaked.

The officers' stances grew more rigid as they readied their weapons. Their fingers moved to the triggers and they took aim. Kacchan's hand crackled in response and he took a step forward in front of Kirishima and Izuku.

Izuku felt sweat slide down his neck. Where the hell was Todoroki?!

"Fire!" one police officer yelled.

Izuku put his arms up to cover his face, Kirishima doing the same, and Kacchan took a step forward, seemingly to challenge the oncoming bullets with just his body.

But, before any of the bullets could leave their chambers, icy spikes rose from the ground and froze the officers nearly solid.

Izuku released the breath he was holding and lowered his arms in shock. He heard the tapping of footsteps, and Todoroki came into view, his right arm completely encased in ice.

"Nice one, Todoroki!" Kirishima yelled.

"Todoroki...?" Kacchan whispered, and Izuku could see his eyes flash.

"A-Ah, we should get moving before backup arrives!" Izuku said, starting to move.

As if on cue, there were shouts that rang out down the street. More police vehicles tore around the corner.

"We've got to move," Todoroki said.

"This way!" Izuku said, and he took off down the street.

When he heard footsteps behind him, he kept going and didn't look back. He ducked into a nearby building and ushered everyone inside. Once all four bodies were safely inside, he shut the door and ducked down.

"Izuku, this way," Shouto called.

Izuku turned towards Todoroki and saw him in the next room, holding open the door. He quickly shuffled to the next room and allowed Todoroki to shut the door behind them. The next room only had a small window that opened up to the alleyway, allowing a little light into the room.

"I think we lost them," Izuku said after it grew quiet.

"That was close," Kirishima said with a sigh. "I'm so glad you and Todoroki were nearby! Nice ice, by the way, man."

Todoroki rubbed the last of the frost from his arm and nodded.

"Thank you. I tried to stop the officers before—"

Suddenly, Kacchan surged forward and grabbed Todoroki by his collar. He pushed him backward until Todoroki's back slammed against the wall, making him wince when his head banged against the wooden paneling. With his other hand, sparks crackled to life.

"Bakugou!" Kirishima yelped.

"Kacchan, what are you doing?!" Izuku called.

But Kacchan ignored them, instead sending threatening glares to Todoroki. And with a sneer, he opened his mouth and growled lowly at Todoroki through grit teeth.

"Who the _hell_ are you?"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

* * *

_"Ah. There you are, Midoriya."_

_Izuku startled, turning around from where he was boarding up the last window on the top floor of the hotel. He smiled when he saw a flash of red and white hair appear in the doorway._

_"Ah, Todoroki!" Izuku called, putting down his hammer and wiping his brow. "Back from the supply run?"_

_Todoroki nodded, some of his bangs falling into his eyes. "I found some more nails," he said as he lifted his backpack in the air for Izuku to see._

_"Great!" Izuku said, standing to his feet and taking the backpack. "I actually just ran out."_

_Todoroki blinked at Izuku wordlessly as he let go of his backpack, his head tilting to the side. _

_"You cut your hair," Todoroki commented._

_Izuku chuckled nervously, his hand reaching up to touch the short hairs just above his neck. _

_"Uraraka did it. She said an undercut would look good on me, so…" Izuku stuttered. "I mean, it feels lighter, and I suppose that would be best when trying to get away from the police."_

_Todoroki hummed thoughtfully. "It looks nice."_

_"Ah, you think so?" Izuku asked, his hand rubbing the back of his head. "I always liked my poofy hair."_

_"True. But this also makes you look older," Todoroki said. "You look like a leader."_

_Izuku stared at Todoroki, baffled. He glanced down at the ground and wrung his wrists._

_"Oh. Uh, thank you, Todoroki," Izuku said. _

_Todoroki hummed in response and moved past Izuku towards the window. He picked up the board and looked at Izuku expectantly._

_"Need help boarding this up?" Todoroki asked._

_Izuku smiled and walked over, setting down his backpack. He opened it up and found several tools and supplies inside, including several nails. He plucked a few of them out of the bag and grabbed his hammer. _

_Todoroki held the board steady while Izuku hammered in a nail, some of Todoroki's bangs falling into his face again. He blew them away and leaned his head to the side to try to get his hair to fall behind his ear._

_Izuku chuckled at his struggle. "While my hair is short, yours is getting pretty long, Todoroki."_

_Todoroki frowned, blowing a strand out of his face. "It is kind of annoying."_

_"Do you want Uraraka to cut it?" Izuku asked._

_Todoroki squinted at the strand of white hair that hung in his face, his lip pulled to the side. He looked thoughtful and contemplative, seeming to take Todoroki's question seriously. _

_"Nah, I think I kind of like it," he said, allowing Izuku to hammer in the last of the few nails. Once he was done, he stood up straight and pushed his hair out of his face. "My father would never have allowed it."_

_Izuku rolled his eyes but kept his smile wide on his cheeks, and he glanced up at Todoroki with his hands on his hips._

_"I think it suits you," Izuku said. He lifted his arms above his head in a stretch. "Well, I'm all tired of being cooped up in here. Wanna go for a patrol with me?"_

_Todoroki smiled gently and pushed his bangs out of his face, eyes warm and determined._

_"Sounds good."_

* * *

"Who the _hell_ are _you?"_

Izuku's breath caught in his throat at the sound of Kacchan's growl. His voice wasn't sounding like its typically grouchy self.

Kacchan sounded furious.

Todoroki, who was on the receiving end of Kacchan's fury, had grabbed ahold of his attacker's wrist, frost forming over his right hand. He had a look of anger on his face, as well, and Izuku could only see this situation escalating. He swallowed down his fears and hurried over to Kacchan's side, putting a tentative hand on the volatile man's shoulder.

"K-Kacchan, what are you—"

"How the hell are you alive, you half 'n half bastard?" Kacchan growled, his fist twisting Todoroki's collar. "What the hell are you? Are you some sort of clone?!"

Izuku desperately tried to pull Kacchan off of Todoroki, but his grip was still as strong as ever, even with him being in prison for a while.

"Kacchan, stop! He's not our Todoroki!" Izuku begged, tugging on Kacchan's arm.

"I know he isn't, you idiot!" Kacchan shouted, his head turning to meet Izuku's gaze. "Just look at 'im! His hair's all wrong and he's got that ugly scar on his face."

Izuku could see Todoroki's eyes flicker with hurt and the ice melted from his hand, and Izuku felt his heart clench painfully.

"You're some sort of spy, aren't you? Here to take notes of all of the others' quirks?!" Kacchan's left hand crackled. "Bet your ass is here to get everyone captured!"

"Kacchan!" Izuku yelled, nearly shrieked.

Suddenly, the room flashed with a spark of orange, and Kacchan hissed and jumped back, fanning his hand. Todoroki's left side was covered in hot flames, his face turned into a very harsh scowl. He pushed himself up from the wall and let the flames on the left side of his body burn and crackle, making the heat of the room intensify.

"W-Whoa!" Kirishima yelped, taking a few steps back and lifting his still-cuffed arms to block the light.

"T-Todoroki!" Izuku called, worried that the situation could spiral, but Todoroki ignored him and chose to glare at Kacchan instead.

When Izuku looked over at him, Kacchan looked flabbergasted, his eyes wide and his snarl not so harsh. But it soon morphed into a glare, his red eyes shining against the light from Todoroki's fire.

"What the hell is this?" Kacchan asked, his palm crackling back to life. "Who the hell are you?"

Izuku could feel the room's temperature rise, and the sirens of the police cars were roaring outside. If things didn't stop now, then Todoroki and Kacchan could easily get into a fight, and it would definitely give away their position. He needed to grab ahold of both of them before it turned into a full-on brawl.

"Stop!" Izuku yelled, jumping in between the two and putting out his hands.

Todoroki's scowl instantly faded when he saw Izuku in front of him, and he reduced his flames slightly. Kacchan's face tightened even more at Izuku's presence.

Izuku swallowed. He hoped he wasn't about to get blown up here. Running from the government for over ten years just to get killed by his friends in a worn down building? He wasn't about to let this happen.

"If you guys fight, we'll get caught!" Izuku said, looking to Kacchan. "We have to get back to the base where it's safe. We can all talk once we get there, got it?" He glanced to Todoroki, trying to keep his expression hard. "_Got it?"_

Todoroki and Kacchan took another few agonizing seconds to stare each other down, making Izuku sweat. He was about to call them down again when Todoroki extinguished his flames. Kacchan did the same, lowering his uncuffed hand to his side.

Both Izuku and Kirishima let out a sigh of relief, their shoulders sagging and Kirishima's shackles clinging. Izuku glanced over at him and eyed the cuffs, wincing at the sight.

"All right. Let's get back," Izuku said. "The others are probably worried by now."

Kacchan huffed. "Fine. The sooner we get back, the sooner we can find somewhere safer to live."

Izuku blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

Kacchan hesitated, his lip pulling to the side in a strange grimace that Izuku hadn't really seen on his friend's face before. He sighed and ran his cuffed hand through his spiky hair.

"Whatever. I'll explain when we get there," Kacchan said.

Izuku exchanged another glance with Todoroki, who simply shrugged, and he nodded at Kacchan, a little unsure of what to say.

"Fine. Let's head back," Izuku said. He looked to Todoroki. "Can you lead the way?"

Todoroki nodded and gave Kacchan a brief side-glance and he started towards the door. Kacchan clicked his tongue and followed behind, grumbling something about "half-n-half" or some sort of expletive.

Izuku sighed and turned to follow, suddenly feeling way too exhausted. His emotions had gone through the wringer today. He needed a nap.

"Hey, so…" Kirishima hurried next to Izuku's side as they walked, a concerned look on his face. "What was that all about?"

Izuku blinked at him, his brows knitting together. "What do you mean?"

Kirishima nodded towards Todoroki, his mouth pulled at the corners in a grimace.

"Bakugou said something about Todoroki being alive or something," he explained. "What did he mean by that?"

Izuku paled, his breath catching in his throat. He swallowed thickly and looked away from Kirishima, hoping to catch up to the other two quickly.

"I'm sure it was nothing."

* * *

_"We can't just hide in this damn place forever!"_

_"But what else can we do, Bakugou? It's dangerous to go out there."_

_"You're just a bunch of cowards!"_

_Izuku watched with a wince on his face as Kacchan stomped around the basement of the hotel, his hands ready to explode. Ojiro had just been captured, and it sent the group into a panic. _

_While Hagakure was in the corner crying with the other girls tried to comfort her, the boys were trying to calm the hotheaded blonde in the middle of the room. Izuku was at a table, trying his best to stay out of it. He knew once Kacchan got fired up, the only solution was for him to calm himself down. _

_Izuku was not about to get punched again. _

_"You're just gonna let this shitty government take over everything?! Walk all over us like door mats?!" Kacchan yelled. The sparks on his hands grew more erratic and they popped loudly in the room._

_"Bakugou! I must ask that you remain calm!" Iida said, moving his hand downward in a chopping motion._

_"Yeah, dude. Just chill," Kaminari said. "We'll figure something out."_

_"Denki's right," Kirishima said. "If we just wait it out, we can come up with a plan to help our friends."_

_"Like hell!" Kacchan yelled._

_Izuku sighed, watching the cycle of fruitless encouragement go on and on. It was hopeless. He should really get up and tell the others that their words weren't going to work and that they should leave Kacchan to cool off in his room._

_ But honestly, Izuku was just too tired. _

_And just as angry._

_He's seen too many of his friends be taken, right out from under his nose. It was infuriating to be so useless in a situation like this. If only he had been born with a quirk, then maybe, just _maybe,_ he could have turned things around. Maybe he could have helped to save this world from such a fate._

_But even with a quirk… could that have made any difference at all?_

_"You look like you're thinking hard."_

_Izuku flinched, the room coming back into a clear picture and he whipped his head up to see Todoroki standing over him, his head tilted to the side. The top half of his hair was pulled back into a small ponytail, laying it flat against his shoulder-length hair. It was really getting long._

_"Ah. Todoroki…" Izuku greeted lamely. Even his voice betrayed his hurt._

_But Todoroki seemed to not notice, or he simply ignored it. Whichever the case, Izuku was grateful. He wasn't sure if he could hold back the ugly sobs that threatened to crawl up his throat._

_"Bakugou seems fired up," Todoroki commented as he grabbed a nearby chair and tugged it closer to Izuku's side. He sat down and pressed his warmer left side to Izuku's shoulder. _

_"I don't blame him," Izuku said, shifting in his seat. _

_He sighed at the warmth from Todoroki's shoulder and he leaned into the touch. Izuku closed his eyes and tried to drown out Hagakure's hiccups from the corner of the room. He nodded when he managed to keep the tears at bay. _

_"Ojiro's capture is frustrating," he added._

_Todoroki hummed. "He didn't deserve to get captured."_

_"No one does," Izuku sighed, slumping a little. "Now all that's left of us are the ones that look quirkless."_

_"You _are_ quirkless, Izuku," Todoroki reminded, his face deadpan. _

_"Yeah," Izuku mumbled. "That's one of the problems."_

_Todoroki's brows knitted together. "You have the chance to be free, Izuku."_

_"Don't even consider it," Izuku snapped. His soured mood was beginning to worsen._

_"But Izuku—"_

_"Drop it."_

_Todoroki hesitated for a moment until his expression fell. He sighed, turning his gaze back towards the rest of the group._

_"I just want you safe, Izuku," Todoroki said softly. "That's all I want."_

_Izuku felt as if he had been doused, and his heart fell into his stomach like a rock. _

_"Todoroki…"_

_"Damn it, fine!" Kacchan's voice rang out in the room, louder than usual. "If you don't want to do anything about this, then I _will!"

_Kacchan shoved Kaminari and Kirishima out of the way and stormed towards the door. He ripped it open and ascended the stairs, ignoring the calls of his friends from behind. _

_Izuku and Todoroki both jumped to their feet and exchanged looks. _

_"This could be bad," Izuku said. "We need to stop him before he does something dangerous."_

_Todoroki nodded. "Then let's go before he makes an idiotic mistake."_

_Izuku nodded and hurried towards the stairs, Todoroki close on his heels._

* * *

Kacchan was grumbling under his breath as the four came up to the hatch doors of the hotel. His glare was still aimed at Todoroki, who pointedly ignored him.

Izuku felt a little on edge. He hoped he could explain this to Kacchan in the best way possible so he could understand and not get too suspicious. Although, Izuku's reaction to seeing Todoroki had the exact same outcome, resulting in Todoroki being pinned to a wall.

Izuku sighed. He would have to apologize to Todoroki about that later.

Todoroki opened the hatch doors and allowed Kirishima and Izuku to descend first, eyeing Kacchan as the two tried to enter at the same time.

"Hey! Walk behind me, asshole!" Kacchan barked, shoving his way through.

Izuku grimaced but Todoroki didn't seem to mind. It was amazing how much patience this boy had.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Izuku knocked on the metal door six times, as he always did, and waited. With a creak, the door opened, and Iida's face appeared.

"Ah, Midoriya! You've returned! And you…" Iida's sentence trailed off when he spotted Kacchan along with a frazzled Kirishima standing next to him. "B-Bakugou?"

Kacchan rolled his eyes and pushed the door open, making his way inside the room.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm back, whatever," Kacchan grumbled.

There were a few gasps as Kacchan waltzed into the center of the room, and several members of the group rushed over to greet him.

"Bakugou, you escaped?" Sero asked, eyes wide.

"Hell, yeah I did!" Bakugou shouted. He pointed his good thumb over his shoulder. "Brought Kirishima with me."

"Kirishima!" Hagakure hurried over to his side and hugged him, evident by her sleeves wrapping around his neck. "We were so worried!"

"Ah, w-well, I'm back!" Kirishima said with a small smile. He tried to hug her back but his cuffs prevented him from moving very far. "I would hug you back but my hands are a little tied up at the moment."

Hagakure stood back and eyed the cuffs. "Oh no! What did they do to you!"

"It's not as bad as it looks, heh…"

Kacchan took this moment to click his tongue. "Don't lie, asshat. You know very well how bad things are there."

The room fell silent for a moment, everyone exchanging worried looks. Uraraka took a step forward, her hands tugging nervously on each other.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

Kacchan let out a low growl and lifted up his right hand, the one cuff still wrapped around his wrist while the other dangled on the other end of the chain.

"The government is full of sickos!" he yelled. "They lock us up, suppress our quirk, and then poke us with needles 'til we bleed!"

Izuku blinked and then squinted his eyes, peering closely at Kacchan's arm. Now that he was looking more closely, he could see tiny circular scars running up and down his bicep.

Izuku swallowed and folded his arms across his chest to prevent a shudder from wracking his body.

He recognized those types of scars very well.

"Whoa, what the hell?" Sato asked, looking at the scars.

"Dude, what did they do to you?" Sero asked.

Kacchan shrugged. "Hell if I know. They just locked me in a room and strapped me down while they took some of my blood," he answered, lowering his arm. "I think they're planning for something big, and it sounds bad. We're not safe here."

Everyone exchanged worried looks, the girls looking a bit more pale than usual. Izuku grimaced. Kacchan was making everyone scared.

Then, Kacchan turned to look at Izuku and then Todoroki, his red eyes fierce and piercing.

"Now, then. You need to explain to me what the hell _he_ is," Kacchan said, pointing a finger towards Todoroki.

Izuku took a step forward and put up his hands. "Kacchan, just calm down, okay? There's an explanation for this."

"Is that so?" Kacchan sneered, looking at Izuku with fury in his eyes. "Then explain it to me. Why the hell is _he_ here? And how?"

"He's not our Todoroki, Bakugou," Momo said calmly.

"Don't you think I know that?!" Kacchan shouted. "If he's not the stupid bastard we know, then who—"

"B-Bakugou?"

The room fell into silence again at the small voice from the far door. Izuku turned and saw Kaminari hunched in the doorway, his eyes wide despite the bruises and swelling in his face. His hand was holding onto his ribs, but he was managing to stand upright.

"Bakugou, you're back?" Kaminari asked with a shaking voice. He winced as he tried to walk through the doorway, stumbling a bit from his injuries.

Kacchan's anger seemed to fade away at the sight. "W-What the hell?" he whispered.

"Kaminari! You shouldn't be out of bed!" Iida pressed, hurrying over to his side to help him stand.

"What the hell happened to him?" Kacchan asked, his damaged left hand sparkling to life as he got more frustrated. "What the hell is going on here, huh?"

Izuku took a deep breath and sighed. He had to stop Kacchan before he got so overwhelmed that his quirk spiraled into a massive explosion.

He walked over to his friend's side and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. Kacchan reared around and looked at Izuku with wild eyes. Izuku gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Kacchan, why don't you have a seat?" Izuku said, exasperated at this point from the long, tiresome day. "There's a lot to talk about."

* * *

_"How many times is Bakugou going to do this?"_

_"Kacchan's anger knows no bounds. This could go on for months."_

_"If he keeps this up, he could get himself killed."_

_Izuku didn't respond to Todoroki's comment, although he was inclined to agree. They were both huddled on a nearby rooftop, watching Kacchan as he stomped through the streets below._

_Over the past two weeks, Kacchan had gone on a rampage, blowing up police vans left and right. By some miracle, he managed to dodge every quirk suppressing dart and gunshot. _

_Todoroki and Izuku watched over him every time as if they were his babysitters. It was tiring and worrisome to watch him fight and scream all day long. They would stop him, but neither Todoroki nor Izuku had any kind of power to stop him. His explosions were far too uncontrolled and dangerous to try to hold him back._

_"Ah, here comes another vehicle," Todoroki said with a sigh. _

_Izuku nodded. "He's pretty fired up today, too." _

_"This will be a bloodbath."_

_"At least he's not taking his anger out on us." _

_Todoroki gave him a deadpan expression, which made Izuku chuckle, breaking the tension. _

_"He's not always taking his anger out on us, you know. It was a joke," Izuku said._

_"A poor one," Todoroki commented. _

_"You just don't get humor," Izuku said._

_"And you defend Bakugou's actions too much."_

_Izuku snapped his mouth shut, watching as Todoroki's face hardened into an expression he rarely wore. He glanced down at his hands ands opened and closed them repeatedly, glaring at his fingertips as if he wanted them gone._

_"If only I was stronger," Todoroki began, "then maybe I could at least lift this burden."_

_Izuku sighed. "You don't have to protect me," he said. "I can take care of myself."_

_"I know that," Todoroki said. "But what if you do something stupid as to try and protect that idiot down there? What if his actions cause you to get hurt?"_

_Izuku blinked at him, unsure of what to say. It felt as if ropes were tightening around his chest, making it hard to breathe or even move._

_"Todoroki… I—"_

_A loud explosion suddenly caught off his sentence, the aftershocks rocking the building. He and Todoroki quickly searched the ground below for Kacchan, both gasping when they found him surrounded by a few police officers._

_"He's going to get arrested," Todoroki said, his voice harsh._

_Izuku grit his teeth and jumped into action, running to the edge of the building and throwing himself over the side, landing on the first floor of the fire escape._

_"Izuku!" Todoroki called in horror._

_Izuku ignored his friend's cries and shimmied down the fire escape until he reached the sidewalk below. Once he got his bearings, he sprinted towards the police, jumping right into action._

_His first strike was the officer whose back was facing him, and he did a leaping kick at the man's neck. The officer fell forward and smacked his head on the ground hard, knocking him out instantly. _

_The other officers turned their guns towards him, one of them firing a dart that hit Izuku's forearm. He winced at the pain but yanked the dart out of his skin and charged the officer, grabbing the gun by the barrel. He pulled it forward and then hit the officer square in the jaw. _

_Once that officer was down, he turned towards the last officer standing, freezing once he saw that he had taken Kacchan hostage._

_"Stop right where you are and your friend here won't get hurt," the officer threatened. _

_Kacchan was wearing a thick scowl, his hands crackling. But when the barrel of the gun pushed further against his temple, he reigned in the sparks, rendering him frozen in place._

_Izuku swallowed, his brain going into overdrive as a million different scenarios popped into his head, each ranging from stalling to flat out charging the officer. But none of the ideas he had come up with had a positive outcome. He needed to come up with a new plan that would ensure Kacchan's safety. _

_The officer barked out more orders and Izuku shut his eyes and tried to concentrate. _

_Think, Izuku! Think!_

_"Augh!"_

_Izuku's eyes snapped open as the officer fell forward, his body limply collapsing onto the ground. _

_Standing behind him was Todoroki, a metal rod in his hands. _

_"Todoroki!" Izuku called, rushing over to his side. _

_Todoroki regarded them both with an icy glance as he threw the metal rod away from him, the sound clanging in the empty street. Izuku could barely see some ice crystals clinging to it._

_"This is enough," Todoroki said. "Let's head back."_

_Kacchan scoffed. "Oh, mister high-and-mighty telling us what to do now?"_

_"Kacchan," Izuku hissed, making Kacchan's mouth snap shut. "He's right. Let's get going before any more show up."_

_Kacchan huffed out a breath and grumbled more under his breath, but he relented and began to stalk off in the direction of the hotel. _

_Izuku breathed a sigh of relief, thankful no one was injured. He glanced over at Todoroki, who was looking down at his right hand with an odd expression on his face. He seemed contemplative, but there was also a hint of sadness in his eyes that Izuku wasn't quite used to._

_"Todoroki—"_

_"I could almost control it," Todoroki said softly. His hand closed into a fist. "My quirk. I could almost feel the ice running through my arm. But it didn't work." He let his hand drop to his side and he stared at the ground sadly. "I'm not strong enough."_

_Izuku winced. "You're plenty strong enough, Todoroki," he said. "Without your help here, Kacchan would've been hurt or even killed." He placed a hand on Todoroki's shoulder and waited until his friend looked his way. "You saved both of us back there. We couldn't have done it without you."_

_Todoroki's strange expression wilted back into his usual deadpannedness, which made Izuku's shoulder droop in relief. He didn't need two moody friends right now. _

_"Let's head back," Izuku said._

_He turned away and started to head off in the same direction that Kacchan started to walk down, barely able to make out his friend's silhouette in the distance. Izuku needed to have a talk with both of them when they got back. It was getting too risky to be out this late. _

_"I'll talk to Kacchan about this," Izuku called over his shoulder, hoping Todoroki was listening from behind. "And we'll put a stop to his—"_

_Suddenly, a shot rang out, followed by a strangled cry from Todoroki._

_Izuku's heart did a giant leap in his chest at the sound, and he whirled around to see Todoroki sprawled on the ground, his hands clutching his leg. Blood was pouring from the wound and his face was scrunched up in pain. It was a bullet wound._

_"Todoroki!" Izuku shrieked. _

_But before Izuku could even sprint out to his friend, a police van screeched to a halt near him. Police scrambled from the van and grabbed Todoroki, cuffing his left hand and struggling to get the right._

_"Todoroki!" Izuku shouted, running towards them._

_"Izuku, stay back!" Todoroki called desperately. _

_Izuku froze in his tracks, eyes wide as he locked eyes with Todoroki. Todoroki was shaking his head at him, trying to fight against the police. During his struggle, the officers turned their gazes towards Izuku and drew their guns, making Izuku take a step back._

_"Run, Izuku!" Todoroki yelled, still on the ground. He fought against the police officer over him, managing to keep his right hand free._

_Izuku shook his head._

_The officers drew closer._

_Todoroki's voice rang louder, more desperate._

_"Run!" he shouted again._

_"I can't," Izuku said, tears forming in his eyes._

_Todoroki's eyes widened, his brows scrunching up as the officers started to surround Izuku. He let out a guttural yell, planting his right hand on the ground, shooting jagged ice towards the officers surrounding Izuku. _

_In an instant, the officers were frozen to the ground._

_"Run, damn it!" Todoroki yelled right before the officer punched him in the face. His head hit the ground, blood pouring from his lip, but his eyes never left Izuku. "RUN!"_

_Izuku's tears began to flow as he turned around, not bearing to watch as Todoroki was cuffed and thrown into the back of the van._

* * *

"So this Todoroki has been with us ever since."

Kacchan furrowed his brows, his eye twitching every so often as Iida tended to his hand.

The rest of the room had been silent as Izuku rehashed what everyone already knew about this alternate version of Todoroki Shouto that suddenly appeared in their world a few days prior. Kacchan was surprisingly quiet through Izuku's entire explanation, his demeanor rather calm despite his earlier anger towards the dual quirk user.

"Fine," Kacchan said after a while, turning his head to look in Todoroki's direction. "I guess it makes sense."

Izuku breathed out a sigh of relief. The room collectively released a breath, as well, and just like that, the tension was gone. Smiles appeared on everyone's faces, now focused on how they got two of their friends back.

Iida finished wrapping Kacchan's hand, the shackles now completely off of his wrist, thanks to Todoroki. He managed to slowly melt it and break it once the metal got soft enough, and once it was off, Iida got right to work on resetting his thumb and bracing it so it could heal.

Once it was in proper bindings, Kacchan grumbled a soft word in appreciation before standing to his feet. He waltzed over to where Izuku was sitting and plopped down next to him, breathing out a sigh.

"Finally, out of those damn things," Kacchan said, motioning towards the broken cuffs that laid on the table where Iida still sat, now looking at them closely.

Izuku smiled softly. "Looks like you've given Iida something to study."

"Well, once half 'n half 2.0 gets the ones off of Kirishima, he'll have two to look at," Kacchan said.

Izuku glanced over to the corner where Todoroki was carefully using his left hand to rapidly melt the cuffs from Kirishima's wrists. The metal warped under his palm, and then Todoroki was able to snap it off of Kirishima's wrist, the latter letting out a light "whoop" of success in response.

"Kirishima seems okay," Izuku mentioned. "Did he get experimented on?"

Kacchan shrugged. "Don't know. Didn't really have time to chat about it."

Izuku hummed and then fell silent, taking in deep breaths. He finally felt somewhat at peace with Kacchan back by his side. Since Todoroki had been gone, well… things had just not felt quite right. It was nice to have some sort of normalcy back in his life.

"Hey, Deku."

Kacchan's voice pulled Izuku out of his thoughts, and he opened his eyes, not having realized that he had closed them in the first place. He glanced over at Kacchan who was looking at him with a strangely serious expression. He nodded his head towards Todoroki.

"So… Does he know what happened to Todoroki?" Kacchan asked. "The Todoroki from our world, I mean."

Izuku winced, looking away. His hands found each other in his lap and he bit his lip.

"No," he answered softly.

Kacchan gave the room a cursory glance. "Does anyone know?"

Izuku kept still, fearing that his heartbeat would be too loud. He shook his head sadly and squeezed his hands together so hard that his fingers started to turn pale.

He expected him to scoff, but Kacchan remained silent. After a moment, he turned his gaze back to the others, watching as Todoroki took off the other cuff from Kirishima's wrist. They were all smiling and happy, and even Todoroki had a small smile on his face, seeming happy that he could do his "hero" work or whatever he wanted to call it.

"They're going to start asking questions, you know," Kacchan said, and then he gestured toward Todoroki. "'Specially with _him_ showing up all of a sudden."

"Yeah. I know," Izuku said softly.

"Hmph. Guess you better figure out what to say then, moron," Kacchan said.

Izuku sighed and hung his head, his short bangs falling against his forehead. He stared at the floor beneath his feet and weighed his options, falling short of any way out.

"Yeah," Izuku repeated. "I know."

* * *

"Thanks again, Todoroki! I'm a free man once again."

Shouto smiled lightly as Kirishima waved his goodbyes with both of his hands, emphasizing his now free wrists. He went up to the stairs that led to the rooms and he took his leave, along with a majority of everyone else. Uraraka and Hagakure were still up, along with Bakugou and Izuku. The four sat at a table together, each with a glass of water in their hands.

Before he could even look over at his friends, a yawn escaped Shouto's mouth, and he stretched his hands above his head. He was exhausted from the day and was in desperate need for sleep. He glanced down at his hands and took a slow breath through his nose.

He would have to try to come up with a different plan to get home tomorrow, when he had more rest.

He turned around and headed towards the stairs, his eyelids already drooping. He couldn't wait to lie down in that uncomfortable bed and pass out.

"So, what were the other prisoners like?" Uraraka's voice chirped in the air.

It made Shouto pause in the doorway to the stairs and he cut his eyes back to the small group huddled around the table.

"Yeah, did you see any of our friends?" Hagakure asked.

Bakugou scoffed, folding his arms across his chest. "No, I didn't see any of them. The other prisoners can be real pricks."

Shouto turned his head to look at him, wincing slightly at the description. But he had to admit that his interested was piqued.

"What?" Uraraka asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"There were these damn idiots that claimed their quirks could paralyze people by eating their blood, or turn people to ash just by their touch," Bakugou said.

Shouto's breath hitched, his eyes blowing wide. Those descriptions sounded awfully like Stain and Shigaraki…

"Yeah those guys were real sketchy. Creepy bastards," Bakugou said, slamming back his water. "Man, can't we get something different to drink here?!"

Their conversation delved into a different topic, but Shouto was still hung up on Bakugou's words.

If there were truly villains locked up in that place, then perhaps a certain villain universe-altering quirk would be there, too.

Shouto's eyes blew wide, and he whipped his head back to look at Bakugou and Izuku. If he could get the answers he needed, then...

It could truly be his ticket home.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

* * *

Izuku blankly stared up at the dark ceiling, his eyes counting the stains and spots that littered the worn-down tiles.

Everyone had gone to bed, so the downstairs waiting area was silent. Izuku was alone, resting along the couch with his hands behind his head in an attempt to get some shuteye.

But his mind wouldn't leave him alone.

_"Run, Izuku!"_

Izuku's eye twitched. It was already painful to have gone through the whole ordeal. So why was his brain sending him these reminders now?

_"Run, damn it! RUN!"_

Izuku sighed and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath through his nose. He willed his brain to quiet down so he could actually get some rest, but after hours of staring up at the ceiling, he knew it would be another night of no sleep and complete silence.

Silence was usually a comforting thing.

It meant no one was getting harassed, or fighting anti-quirk groups. It meant that no police were around and no arrests were being made. It meant that no one was crying out in pain from an injury or wailing on their last breath of life.

But tonight, silence was unbearably loud.

Even after the long, exhausting day of dealing with Kacchan and everything that came with it, sleep had evaded him.

_"What are you doing here, Izuku?"_

Izuku winced, his face scrunching up as if he were in pain. He just wanted to sleep before the sun came up. He only had maybe an hour? 45 minutes?

_"You can't stay here, it's dangerous!"_

Just close your eyes and sleep.

Sleep. Sleep…

_"You have to leave me, Izuku."_

I don't want to.

_"I-Izuku…"_

Izuku sucked in a sharp breath, squeezing his eyes shut. He pulled his hands from behind his head and covered his ears.

Enough, he thought. He didn't want to remember more. He didn't want to hear that pained voice as he—

_"I'm sorry."_

"What the hell do you want, half 'n half? Can't you see I'm busy?"

Izuku's eyes snapped open at the sound of the far door swinging open, and familiar voices rang from the hall. Kacchan's rugged voice was first, softer than usual, but not lacking its typical bite.

"You came out of your room the same time as me." Todoroki's voice now echoed in the small space.

"Hah? You stalkin' me or something, Clone?" Kacchan asked.

"No. It was coincidence," Todoroki said. "But I do need to talk to you."

Izuku's brow quirked. That was weird. What did Todoroki want with Kacchan?

"Huh? Me?" Kacchan asked. There was a clinking sound—Kacchan must've been grabbing a glass from the cabinet—followed by running water. "About what?"

There was a slight hesitation. "The other prisoners you interacted with…" Todoroki began, and Izuku's heart leapt into his throat.

"What about 'em?" Kacchan asked.

Todoroki hesitated again, and Izuku slowly pushed himself up from the couch to peer over the edge. The two were situated by the sink, a full glass of water in Kacchan's un-mangled hand. Todoroki had a small flame settled in the palm of his hand, illuminating their faces.

"I was wondering if there was a certain person there," Todoroki said.

Kacchan lowered his brows. "Got a name?"

Todoroki shook his head. "No, but I can describe them."

"Go ahead," Kacchan said, lifting the glass to his lips.

"A woman with purple hair, a little tall. She has some type of… reality bending quirk, or something."

Izuku felt his chest flutter. That sounded like the villain he had been talking about before.

Wait a minute, why was Todoroki asking about her? To Kacchan?

Kacchan swallowed. "That the freak who sent you here?" Todoroki nodded, and Kacchan quirked a brow. "The hell do you want to know about her for?"

Todoroki paused for a moment. "I want to see if she's in this world, too," he started. "I want to see if she could possibly help send me back to my world."

Izuku's breath hitched. If that villain was in the prison, then he'd have to go to the prison to talk to her. But it was too dangerous. Was he really going to—

"And you want to break into the prison to do that?" Kacchan asked.

"Yes."

There was no hesitation from Todoroki, and Izuku flinched in surprise, the momentum sending him falling off the couch and crashing onto the floor. He heard a clink, followed by rapid footsteps, and then Todoroki and Kacchan were peering over the back of the couch down at him. Izuku felt his chest burn at the sight of Todoroki, anger boiling up.

"Deku?" Kacchan called.

"Izuku," Todoroki said. "Are you—"

"Like _hell_ are you breaking into that prison!" Izuku blurted out, his hands rubbing the back of his head from when it impacted the floor.

Todoroki blinked at him, his eyes a little wide in surprise. He rubbed the back of his neck and peered down at the couch cushions.

"I just thought it was the best resource we had," Todoroki said.

Izuku pulled himself up from the floor, his hands clutching the cushions. He gave Todoroki an angry look, but he was sure it looked weak with his tiredness.

"It's too dangerous. That place is crawling with guards with quirk-suppressants and cameras," Izuku said. He reached up to clutch his shirt near his heart as a memory bloomed in his mind. "And once you've been suppressed, they'll just flat out shoot you."

Todoroki had the gall to look sorry, which only made Izuku feel more frustrated.

"I'm… just trying to figure out a way to get back home," Todoroki explained. "I fear that if I don't reverse this quirk, it could be permanent."

Izuku's heart fluttered a little, seeing the slight fall in Todoroki's expression. Next to him, Kacchan clicked his tongue and folded his arms across his chest.

"You're outta luck, anyway. I never saw anyone like that there," Kacchan said.

Todoroki's brows knitted together and he glanced down at the ground. The dancing flame in his hand softened as his shoulders rolled forward in a slump, the room growing quiet.

Izuku grimaced at his expression and he sighed, closing his eyes. He knew that the prison was incredibly dangerous, so there was no way that they could just storm the building to find this villain. And not only that, but the facility was huge. They would waste precious time searching floor after floor in each cell to find her.

It was out of the question. There was no way they could ever—

_"So," Kacchan asked. "What's your plan then? Sit here and mope? Cry some more?"_

Izuku's breath hitched, remembering this conversation almost word for word. It was the night that Todoroki had been arrested, and Izuku had held himself up in his room, crying and shaking. It wasn't long before Kacchan came to find him, and he spat out those questions while leaning against the doorframe and folding his arms across his chest.

_Izuku paused, his arms still holding his knees tightly against his chest. His arms were shaking, but not with sobs. _

_He was quivering with rage._

_He lifted his head and stared up at Kacchan with a look of resolve on his face._

_"No," he said lowly. "I'm going to get Todoroki back."_

Izuku sighed, shaking his head to himself at his idiotic heroic nature from the past. It was foolish to storm the place. They knew nothing about it.

But Izuku had more knowledge than before.

There might be a way.

"Don't look so depressed," Izuku said, pouting a little.

Todoroki and Kacchan turned their heads to look at him, both curious, and it made Izuku squirm. Once this information was out, there was no going back.

"The prisons keep records of each person they arrest. It gives a description of their appearance along with their quirk," Izuku explained. He folded his arms across his chest. "If we can look at those records, then you might be able to find the villain you're looking for."

Todoroki stared blankly at Izuku's face. "You… You've known about this?"

Izuku sighed. He knew this was coming.

"Why didn't you say anything before?" Todoroki asked. "We could've gone after Kirishima. Hell, you could've figured out where the rest of our friends are!"

"_Our_ friends?" Izuku snapped, suddenly feeling a pang of anger spark in his chest.

Todoroki ignored it. "Why didn't you tell anyone? Why didn't you get a group together to go after them?"

Izuku opened his mouth to speak, to yell, to defend himself, but his eyes caught Kacchan's face. He was wearing a soft expression—understanding and yet a little pained. It made Izuku pause, and he took a deep breath.

"Having a map to the treasure doesn't make the journey easy," Izuku said. "I've… been in there and have found our friends before… but they're so spread out through the prison that it would be a huge risk to try and free them." He glanced up at Todoroki, his eyes pleading. "Please try to understand. It is so dangerous there, Todoroki."

Todoroki hesitated, his face going through several different emotions before he finally settled on a sigh. He looked away from Izuku and huffed out an aggravated breath.

"Fine," he said.

Izuku released a breath and looked at Kacchan, who gave him a firm nod. Izuku nodded back at him, feeling the knot in his chest finally unravel. He looked back to Todoroki, who was obviously still a little peeved by Izuku's answer, and he sat up on his knees on the couch so he could touch Todoroki's shoulder.

"We can go to the record room and see if that villain is even in the prisons," Izuku said. "And if she is, we'll see how we can get in to find her so you can go home."

Todoroki's face hardened, exchanging glances with both Izuku and Kacchan.

"When do we leave?" Todoroki asked.

Izuku glanced to Kacchan, his friend rolling his shoulder in preparation for action.

"Now."

* * *

_"You sure this is right?"_

_"Yes, Kacchan. I've checked the guard routes a thousand times. They won't be back for another twelve minutes."_

_"Tch. Well get on with it."_

_Izuku swiftly typed in Todoroki's name into the computer system and clicked search, waiting for the program to find his friend's location. Kacchan stood behind him, his arms folded tightly across his chest with his foot tapping impatiently on the ground. _

_"Is it done yet? Did you find where the bastard is?" Kacchan asked._

_"Almost. Just give me a second," Izuku said, waving Kacchan off._

_Kacchan growled, exasperated. "We don't have a second!"_

_"Ah! Here it is!" Izuku said, pointing to the screen. He mumbled out a few sentences about his weight and height and quirk until he got to the section about Todoroki's locations. "It says he was moved to Testing Room 2 about ten minutes ago!"_

_"And where the hell is that?" Kacchan asked, his patience gone. _

_"Um…"_

_"Um?! Are you shitting me right now, Deku?!"_

_"Just hold on!" _

_Izuku searched the computer for some sort of map or layout of the prison, his eyes desperately scanning for testing rooms. _

_"I just heard something…" Kacchan said. _

_"Almost there…" Izuku said._

_"Deku, hurry up!" Kacchan pressed._

_"I've almost got it!"_

_He clicked on a few more icons before a blueprint of the entire prison popped up on the screen, and Izuku was elated. _

_"I found it!" he said._

_"Great," Kacchan said, his voice loaded with sarcasm. "But I think the guards are on their way back."_

_Kacchan glanced over his shoulder to look at Izuku, his eyes fierce. _

_"I'll hold them off while you go get that idiot," Kacchan said._

_"W-What?" Izuku asked. "No, I couldn't possibly let you—"_

_"Not your choice, dumbass Deku!" Kacchan said. He hurried to the door, grabbing a crowbar along the way. He stopped at the door when he saw that Izuku hadn't moved from his spot. "What the hell are you waiting for?! Get going!"_

_Then, Kacchan ripped open the door and shouted at the top of his lungs. _

_"HEY, BASTARDS!" his voice echoed. "I'M OVER HERE!"_

_Then, the door shut behind him. _

_Izuku's breath hitched, and he stood up to go after him, but he stopped himself. Kacchan was giving him the chance to go after Todoroki, and he shouldn't squander what's been given to him. _

_With a deep breath and a silent prayer, Izuku turned back to the computer and searched the blueprint for Testing Room 2. He finally found it after a few clicks, next to the other testing rooms on the bottom floor of the prisons. _

_"Hang in there, Todoroki," Izuku said, his hands curling into fists. "I'm coming to get you."_

* * *

Izuku shivered from the harsh memory as he led Todoroki and Kacchan to that same building that sat across the street from the prison. Todoroki was in awe at the sheer size of the prison that rested across the street, his eyes wide as he stared up at the many floors.

"It's an eyesore, ain't it?" Kacchan commented.

Todoroki grimaced, and that was all he needed to do to confirm his thoughts on the matter. Izuku knew that once Todoroki saw the mess that was lurking on this side of town, he would be disturbed.

"Let's keep it quiet," Izuku said. "This side of town is really dangerous."

Todoroki and Kacchan nodded, moving behind him towards the records building. Izuku peered around the corner and saw some guards leave out the front door. He waited, thinking back to the old routes from two years ago when he had done this the first time.

"Okay. The room should be open for about fifteen minutes," Izuku said. "If it's still the same, then we should be able to break in through the roof."

"This again…" Kacchan grumbled, fiddling with the bandages on his thumb and wrist.

"It worked last time," Izuku mumbled.

"Yeah and they came back sooner than you thought."

Todoroki narrowed his eyes at them. "Wait. You guys have been here before?"

Izuku locked eyes with him briefly and then quickly looked away. He could feel Kacchan's eyes on him, too.

"Yeah, long story…" Izuku said. "Okay, let's just go."

Todoroki created an ice block underneath their feet that lifted them up to the rooftop of the building. In a flash, Todoroki summoned his fire and melted it, leaving no evidence behind.

Once on the roof, Izuku ran towards a vent. He tugged it off and gestured for the other two to follow.

They quickly jumped inside and Izuku led them down the tight vents.

"Is there no better way to do this?" Todoroki drawled.

"Shut up, Clone," Kacchan growled lowly.

"Stop calling me that."

"Will you two shut up?" Izuku snapped, rolling his eyes. "Unless you want to just barge in, this is the best way."

The other two luckily remained quiet until they reached the right room, and once he was there, Izuku peered through the slits of the vent. He held his breath when he saw one more worker still sitting at one of the computers.

Izuku took a moment to look around the room. It was just how he remembered it, but there was a big difference from last time.

Right next to the vent was a camera that faced the room.

Suddenly, the man in front of the computer released a big yawn and stretched his hands over his head, scooting back in his chair. Then, he stood up and sauntered out of the room, letting the door shut behind him.

"Okay," Izuku whispered. "It's clear, but now there's a camera in the corner."

"I'll melt it," Todoroki offered.

Izuku nodded, agreeing. He quietly tugged the vent off and pointed to the camera in the corner. Todoroki nodded and took a deep breath. He reached out his left hand and held it underneath the camera. The bottom of it glowed red until the lens melted and the wires fizzled out.

Izuku nodded and then hopped down, landing on his feet. Todoroki and Kacchan followed suit, and Todoroki immediately froze the door shut.

"Good thinking," Izuku said as he rushed over to the nearby computer.

"Hurry this up," Kacchan said in a harsh whisper. "Don't want to be here any longer than necessary."

Izuku clicked through the options, his fingers trembling as he typed out the description Todoroki had given him. He began to sweat, and his breaths were a struggle to get out of his chest. His body was starting to shut down.

Don't stop, Izuku told himself. Keep going. Don't think about it.

Don't think about it, don't think, don't think…

* * *

_Izuku ran down the hallways as quickly as possible, narrowly avoiding a few guards along the way. He was nearly out of breath by the time he reached the Testing Rooms, but his determination had grown stronger with each step he took. When he rounded the corner towards the long array of doors down a darkened hallway, he quickly scanned the doors for the number 2, his chest fluttering as he ran. _

_Just as he was passing by a door, he heard a scream._

_"Stop it!"_

_Izuku's heart almost popped out of his chest. _

_It was Todoroki. _

_"Don't! Ugh, let me go!"_

_Izuku glanced up at the door and saw the 2 on the front, and he quickly jumped into action. He turned the knob and shoved his way inside, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. _

_But once inside the testing room, he froze in his footsteps. _

_Todoroki was strapped to a chair, and a man with a lab coat was standing next to him. He had a large needle in his hand, and Todoroki's sleeve was rolled up to his shoulder. _

_Izuku's eyes burned._

_"Let him go!" Izuku shouted, and he started to sprint over to their side. _

_"W-What the—" The doctor barely had any time to react before Izuku leapt and kicked him in the side._

_"Izuku!" Todoroki shouted in surprise._

_Izuku used his heel to smash down on the back of the doctor's head, knocking him out instantly. Once he was sure the doctor was down, he turned to Todoroki._

_"Are you okay?" Izuku asked, rushing to his side and tugging on the restraints._

_"What are you doing here, Izuku?" Todoroki asked, still focused on Izuku's face._

_"I'm getting you out of here," Izuku said. "Now are you going to tell me if you're hurt, or not?"_

_"I… I'm fine," Todoroki said. "My quirk isn't working."_

_"They probably gave you quirk suppressant," Izuku said, getting one restraint loose. "But don't worry. It won't last long."_

_Todoroki hesitated, watching Izuku as he struggled to get the other restraint undone. His eyes kept focusing on the doorway behind Izuku's back. _

_"You really shouldn't be here," Todoroki said. "What they're planning… It's not safe. No one is safe."_

_"Don't panic, Todoroki," Izuku said, finally getting the restraint off. "We're getting you out of here, got it?"_

_Todoroki winced, his eyes looking a little wet. But he nodded silently and allowed Izuku to help him to his feet. _

_"Okay. Let's get back home, yeah?" Izuku said with a small smile._

_Todoroki nodded, releasing Izuku's hand. "Right behind you."_

_And with that, they hurried out of the room and sprinted down the halls, ignoring any shouts that called after them. _

_"Just keep going," Izuku said. "Kacchan should be holding off any guards outside and he'll probably meet us down there."_

_"Okay," Todoroki said, a little breathless. _

_They came to a stop at a corner and Izuku peeked around the corner to spot any guards. There were a few down the hall so he waited for them to leave. _

_"Sorry about all this, Izuku."_

_Izuku glanced up at Todoroki and gave him a look of surprise._

_"What?" he said. "Don't you dare apologize! None of this was your fault."_

_Todoroki bit his lip, some of his bangs falling into his eyes. "If only I had been stronger…"_

_Izuku reached up and pushed Todoroki's bangs out of his face, making Todoroki look at him._

_"You're plenty strong, got it?" Izuku said. "And don't ever think otherwise."_

_Todoroki took a deep breath and nodded, letting Izuku's hand fall away from his face. Izuku took that moment to peer down the hall. The guards were gone._

_"All right. Let's keep moving," Izuku said._

_They sprinted down the hallway and entered a large, open storage room where Izuku had snuck in. Boxes were stacked along the walls but the room had been void of people. It was only a few steps away now, and they were so close that Izuku could almost taste the freedom. _

_"This way, Todoroki!" Izuku said, pointing towards a large door. _

_They were so close. _

_All they had to do was run towards the exit. _

_It almost seemed… too easy._

_BAM!_

_Izuku jolted to a stop at the sound of a gunshot ringing out in the room, Todoroki nearly stumbling into his back. They both whirled around and saw a group of guards by the hallway. A tall man stood in the front, his gun drawn._

_"Going somewhere?"_

_Izuku and Todoroki found themselves completely surrounded as more guards rounded them on the other side, their weapons also drawn. There weren't too many of them, but it would be impossible to fight their way through. _

_"Surrender now and you won't get hurt," the tall man in the front said, lowering his weapon slightly. _

_"My quirk isn't back, yet," Todoroki said, his voice shaking. _

_"J-Just keep trying," Izuku said. "We'll figure a way out of this, so don't—"_

_"Izuku, you should go," Todoroki said, taking a step in front of Izuku. "I'll distract them."_

_"What?! Are you insane?" Izuku said. "I'm not letting you stay here alone!"_

_"You can't stay here, it's dangerous!" Todoroki argued. _

_"I know, and that's why I'm getting you out!" Izuku said._

_"Enough talking!" the man shouted, lifting his weapon. "Come quietly now, or we'll shoot!"_

_Todoroki gave Izuku a sad look and he shook his head. "You have to leave me, Izuku."_

_Izuku shook his head fiercely. "Not a chance in hell."_

_Todoroki winced. "Izuku—"_

_"All right, men! On the count of three!" the man shouted._

_Todoroki and Izuku braced themselves, Todoroki flexing his arms in an attempt to get his quirk working again._

_"One! Two!" the men lifted up their guns, all aimed at the two._

_"Three!"_

_Izuku and Todoroki braced for impact, but before the men could even fire, a sudden explosion rocked the building, and smoke filled in through the door that led to their escape. _

_Kacchan came waltzing in, his body littered in painful-looking scratches but a devilish smirk on his face._

_"You assholes are messing with the wrong people!" Kacchan yelled, and he launched himself off of the ground with his quirk and came barreling in towards the guards. _

_He landed in the middle and released a large explosion, one that was uncontrolled but big, sending some of the guards flying back towards the wall. It also sent Todoroki and Izuku flying back a few steps. Once they regained their footing, they pulled each other off the ground._

_"You okay?" Izuku asked Todoroki._

_"Yeah, I'm fine," Todoroki said. _

_It was utter chaos for a few minutes as Kacchan kept firing explosions left and right, creating smoke so thick that they could barely see. It was only a matter of time before all hell broke loose. They needed to leave that building and get back to safety _now.

_"Okay. We need to grab Kacchan and get out of here," Izuku said. "It's getting too dangerous here."_

_Todoroki nodded. "Right, we should…" _

_Suddenly, Todoroki stopped and his eyes widened. He lunged forward and grabbed Izuku by the collar and yanked him backwards._

_"Izuku, get down!" Todoroki yelled._

_"Wha—"_

_Before Izuku's back could even hit the ground, the sound of gunfire rang out. He glanced up and saw Todoroki's back arch backwards as if he had been struck. His hands reached up to cradle his gut and then he crumpled to the ground._

_Izuku's spiraled into a panic._

_"TODOROKI!"_

* * *

"See anything, yet?" Todoroki asked as he leaned over Izuku's shoulder.

Izuku chewed on his lower lip. It was as if he was back in time, sitting in this very chair. But instead of searching for one of his best friends, he was searching for a stranger.

Why did he let Todoroki convince him to go in here? Why?!

"Izuku?" Todoroki pressed, leaning closer to Izuku's side.

Izuku startled and flinched away from Todoroki, letting out an embarrassing squeak and then looking up at him in surprise.

"J-Just give me a minute! Since you don't know her name, it makes searching for people harder," Izuku said.

Todoroki blinked at him and then looked back at the computer, squinting at it like he was waiting to see it talk to him. After a second or two, he tilted his head, allowing his red bangs to fall away from the scar on his face.

"Will you two shut it?" Kacchan growled from the door. He had his ear to the wall, his face scrunched up in concentration. "I can't hear with you two runnin' your damn mouths!"

Izuku sighed and went back to scrolling through endless names that appeared on the screen. It was amazing how many people had purple hair.

"What about searching for her quirk?" Todoroki asked.

Izuku glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "And what's the name of her quirk?"

Todoroki opened and closed his mouth, gaping at Izuku like he asked the hardest question in the world.

"I… don't know," Todoroki said.

Kacchan rolled his eyes and scoffed. "For cryin' out loud…"

"Kacchan," Izuku chastised. He glanced back at Todoroki with a slight wince. "Sorry. This program lists the name of their quirk and organizes them through that."

Todoroki paused to think over Izuku's words. "But didn't you say you could search under the description of the quirk?"

Izuku looked back at the screen and glanced at the searching options. It was possible to type in a description, but Izuku was worried that it wouldn't be enough.

"It's possible, but I don't know how well it will work," Izuku said. "But we can try, I guess."

Todoroki nodded in appreciation and leaned closer, watching Izuku's fingers as he typed.

"Don't forget the smoke," Todoroki added.

Izuku nodded and began typing away, hitting enter, and scrolling. His eyes scanned description after description of several prisoners that had been in the prison for a while. He narrowed down the results by appearance, as well, and the list of results reduced to a mere ten people.

"Are you done, yet?" Kacchan asked. "We need to get the hell out of here."

"Almost," Izuku said. "Just a few more…"

He scrolled to the very bottom of the page and stumbled across a description of a female inmate. His heart lurched at the sight and he immediately opened the prisoner's file.

The first thing Izuku noticed was the picture in the top right-hand corner.

"Ah," Todoroki said, sounding a bit startled. He leaned in closer and blinked, eyes wide. "That's… That's her!"

Izuku sucked in a breath. "Really? This is her?!"

Todoroki nodded. "I mean… Her hair is a bit shorter, but that's definitely her."

"Wow," Izuku said. "That's really good, actually. I was worried we wouldn't find her."

"Me, too," Todoroki admitted.

"Blah, blah, great, whatever. Now can you find where she's located before some guards come in and blow our brains in?!" Kacchan barked, his patience rapidly thinning.

"Oh, right," Izuku said.

He glanced back at the screen and searched for location, just like he had in the past. But when he read the description for her current location, it was blank.

"That's weird," Izuku said.

"What is?" Todoroki asked, leaning close again.

"It says she doesn't have a current location," Izuku said.

Todoroki frowned. "I don't understand."

"Yeah…" Izuku mumbled, squinting at the computer. "Hold on, let me look at something."

He clicked on a few more tabs before he found the word "status." He clicked on the tab and waited a bit. He wondered if she was in a different cellblock, or if she had been transferred to another sector, even. Several possibilities rolled through Izuku's mind as the tab popped open on the computer screen.

"Here we go…" Izuku whispered, and he glanced at the data.

After he read the sentence, he sucked in a harsh breath and froze.

"Hm? Izuku?" Todoroki asked. "What does it say?"

Izuku's hand tightened around the mouse of the computer, but he found that he couldn't say a word.

_Prisoner #2890_

_Current Status: Deceased_

* * *

_"TODOROKI!" Izuku shrieked._

_He jumped to his feet and rushed to Todoroki's fallen form, sliding down on his knees next to his friend. He gently grabbed Todoroki's shoulders and rolled him onto his back, his breath hitching at the sight._

_There were three bullet holes in Todoroki's torso, blood already soaking his shirt. _

_"Todoroki…" Izuku whispered._

_Todoroki glanced up at him, pain laced in his eyes. His body began to tremble and he winced at any sudden movement._

_"I-Izuku…" Todoroki rasped, and he tried to grab on to Izuku to pull himself up._

_Izuku grabbed his friend's shoulders and held him down._

_"Hold on, stay still," Izuku said, his voice quivering. He glanced over Todoroki's wounds and felt his heart tighten in his chest. The wounds seemed to miss anything vital, but Todoroki was still losing blood fast._

_"Izuku, you..." Todoroki winced, his eyelids fluttering. His face scrunched up in pain. "You need to get out of here."_

_"I'm not going without you," Izuku snapped, taking off his hoodie. He quickly wrapped up Todoroki's torso with it and tied it together, praying that it would hold in his blood for now._

_Another explosion rocked them, Izuku diving overtop of Todoroki's body to shield him from falling debris, and then Kacchan was trotting over to their sides. _

_"Your slow asses were takin' too long! We've gotta—" Kacchan stuttered to a stop when he saw the blood that had started to surround Todoroki's body. "Deku, what—"_

_"Is the path clear?" Izuku asked him, tears in his eyes. _

_"W-What?"_

_"The path, damn it!" Izuku yelled. "Can we get out or not?!"_

_Kacchan sputtered and nodded. "Y-Yeah, the guards retreated for now, and the smoke is thick. We should go now, though, before they get back."_

_Izuku nodded and then knelt down to Todoroki. He carefully scooped his hands underneath his knees and back and hoisted him up tenderly. Todoroki let out a soft whimper at the movement and his head fell against Izuku's shoulder. _

_"Let's get out of here," Izuku said, turning towards the doorway._

_"Finally," Kacchan said, chasing after him. _

_Then, they were both rushing towards the exit. They heard shouts call after them, and there were more gunshots that rang out. Izuku could feel bullets whizz past him, one grazing his cheek and making it bleed, but they didn't stop running. _

_The sky was covered in thick, dark clouds, and thunder rumbled in the distance. The air smelled like rain, and Izuku held Todoroki's quivering body tightly against his own to try to keep him warm. They could still hear shouts following them, and soon after were sounds of swat vans._

_"We've got to get somewhere safe," Izuku said to Kacchan._

_"Follow me," Kacchan said with a nod. _

_They darted off of the road and ducked into an alleyway, weaving down the intricate web that was the city until they reached the edge of the town, right near the off-limits district. They stopped to take a breath, Izuku gently resting Todoroki down on the sidewalk and leaning him up against the building. _

_"I think we lost 'em for now," Kacchan said, looking down the street. "But they'll be on our asses soon."_

_Izuku nodded, still breathing hard. His muscles had tensed so badly that he could barely feel his limbs anymore. Thunder rumbled again in the sky and a few specks of rain started to fall from the clouds._

_"Izuku…" Todoroki called weakly. "You need to—"_

_Todoroki's sentence was cut off when he coughed up blood, red rivulets sliding down his chin._

_"No, no, no," Izuku mumbled, using his sleeve to wipe the blood. He held onto Todoroki's shoulder and peered down at his wounds again, seeing that Todoroki was struggling to breathe. "We've got to get him back to base." _

_Kacchan winced, suddenly looking down at Todoroki with a worried expression—something he doesn't do very often. It made Izuku's blood run cold._

_"Will he survive the trek? We still have to get him over the fence," Kacchan said._

_"He _will_," Izuku snapped. "Now are you going to help me or not?"_

_Kacchan hesitated, looking over at Todoroki's limp body, the latter's eyes glazing over as he stared up at him. Then, Kacchan sighed and nodded towards the giant fence._

_"Let's go, then," he huffed. _

_Izuku nodded and gently knelt down to Todoroki, scooping him up in his arms once again. Todoroki whimpered, his hand clutching Izuku's shirt._

_"I've got you," Izuku said. _

_He hurried after Kacchan and followed him to the fence. By the time he arrived, the raindrops got heavier, soaking the three of them in an instant._

_"All right, we've got two options," Kacchan said. "We could try to carry him over or I'll just blast this thing wide open."_

_Izuku weighed the options as Todoroki's body shivered against his chest. He knew, after studying with Iida, that the material of the fence was nearly indestructible, even with Kacchan's powerful quirk. But if they tried to climb it, he wasn't sure how much strain that would put on Todoroki's body._

_"Well…" Izuku began. "I guess, maybe—"_

_Suddenly, the sounds of screeching tires echoed down the streets, followed by sirens. And then, in the distance, a swat van cam careening around the corner. _

_"Shit!" Kacchan yelled. "Well, looks like we don't have much of a choice!"_

_He turned back to the fence and put out his palms, trying to get it ready for an explosion. _

_Izuku gently rested Todoroki down a few steps away, leaning his upper body against the fence. He grimaced as the weight shifted, and then he gazed up at Izuku with glassy eyes. _

_"Don't worry, Todoroki. I won't let them have you," Izuku said. _

_Todoroki just blinked at him, his eyes blinking slowly as his body started to shut down. Izuku swallowed and stood back up, rushing back to Kacchan's side. _

_"You almost got it?" Izuku asked, glancing down the street at the van that was rapidly getting closer and closer. _

_Kacchan swore, pushing out his palms as tiny little sparks fell from his fingers._

_"Damn it! All this rain washed away my sweat!" he complained. "I can't get a good blast with this!"_

_Izuku's heart was hammering inside his ribcage, his head whipping around to look at the van that quickly approached. If they got close enough, they would fire on them. They were sitting ducks._

_What would they do now? Perhaps they could scale the fence, but they would have to be careful with Todoroki's injuries. If they jostled him too much then who knows what kind of damage those bullets could do!_

_Izuku had to come up with a new plan. He would have to fend off the police himself, and—_

_"K… Katsuki."_

_Both Izuku and Kacchan turned at the sudden call from a weak Todoroki. He was still leaning against the fence with his eyes fixed on them, his brows furrowed in a determined scowl. It was unusual for Todoroki to call Kacchan by his first name. In fact, Izuku was sure that his name was the only one Todoroki called with familiarity. For him to call Kacchan's first name, of all people, was baffling. Todoroki must be in a lot of pain. _

_Todoroki repeated Kacchan's name with a cough and then slowly gestured for Kacchan to come closer._

_Kacchan's lip pulled to the side and he rushed to his side, kneeling down next to him. Todoroki leaned to his ear and whispered something Izuku couldn't hear. Kacchan pulled back with a surprised look on his face._

_"You… You serious?" Kacchan asked._

_Todoroki nodded. "Keep him safe."_

_Kacchan blinked at him for a moment and then frowned, gritting his teeth. He reached up and yanked at his own hair in frustration._

_"Damn this!" he shouted. "Screw all of this!"_

_"Sorry, Katsuki," Todoroki apologized. _

_Kacchan sighed and growled, standing to his feet. Izuku stared at him as he approached, brows knitted together._

_"Kacchan, what did he—"_

_Before Izuku could even finish his sentence, Kacchan grabbed Izuku by the waist and hoisted him over his shoulder._

_"W-Wha, Kacchan! Put me down!" Izuku yelled, struggling in Kacchan's grasp._

_Kacchan turned to look at the police starting to get closer and he sent a weak glare in Todoroki's direction. _

_"I hope this makes you happy, Todoroki," Kacchan said._

_Todoroki smiled, small but genuine, and the sight sent tears springing from Izuku's eyes. _

_"Thank you, Katsuki," Todoroki said. He glanced to Izuku next and his smile grew wider. "I'm sorry, Izuku. Looks like this is where we part."_

_Izuku shook his head. "Don't do this, Todoroki."_

_"You were the first friend I ever made," Todoroki said._

_"Todoroki," Izuku called, his voice cracking. _

_"I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to protect you so many times," Todoroki said. He reached up and grabbed on to the fence to hoist himself up onto his feet. "So I hope I, ugh… I hope I can repay you for all those times now."_

_Izuku cried out, trying to fight his way out of Kacchan's arms. But Kacchan started towards the fence and latched on, making his way up with Izuku still over his shoulder. _

_"Kacchan, let me down!" Izuku shouted, but Kacchan's arm was strong around his waist. _

_Izuku glanced down at Todoroki below, watching as the boy struggled to his feet and looked up at Izuku. The van had pulled up to the curb and the police all leaped out of the van, their weapons drawn._

_"Todoroki!" Izuku yelled, reaching out his hand._

_"Thank you, Izuku, for taking care of me for so many years," Todoroki said, pushing himself from the fence. "Goodbye, Izuku."_

_Izuku's heart nearly burst, the wind nearly knocking out of his chest as Kacchan's feet landed on the ground below on the other side of the fence._

_"Todoroki!" Izuku called, reaching out his hand. "Todoroki!"_

_Todoroki lifted up his hand in a small wave, his face still filled with pain as he smiled at Izuku. Then, Todoroki turned around and hobbled back towards the police._

_"Stand down!" the police yelled._

_But Todoroki kept walking._

_"Todoroki!" Izuku yelled. _

_Todoroki extended his right hand, ice crystals starting to form on his arm. The ground beneath his feet turned to ice and the side of his face was covered in a thin layer of frost. _

_"No!" Izuku yelled. He pounded his fists on Kacchan's back. "Kacchan, we have to go back!"_

_"Can't, Deku," Kacchan said. "This is what Todoroki wanted."_

_Izuku gave his back one last pound before he turned back to watch. _

_Todoroki hurled some weak ice towards the van, coating it in a thin layer but freezing it to the ground. The police dodged out of the way, and the leader yelled for his men to open fire._

_Todoroki put up several ice walls to protect himself, but Izuku could tell he was getting tired. The walls shattered as soon as the bullets impacted their weak frame, and Todoroki struggled to keep up._

_"Kacchan!" Izuku yelled. "Go _back!"

_"No, damn it!" Kacchan responded._

_Izuku glanced back, holding his breath. _

_Then, he saw an officer flank Todoroki, his weapon trained on his back._

_Izuku felt his stomach lurch. _

_He gave Kacchan's bicep a swift punch, making the boy yelp and drop Izuku to the ground._

_"Damn it!" Kacchan yelled, rubbing his arm. "Get back here, Deku!"_

_"Todoroki!" Izuku shrieked, running back towards the fence. "Look out! Watch behind you! _Todoroki!"

_But just as Todoroki turned around, the officer fired, the bullet hitting Todoroki square in the chest._

_Izuku's eyes widened and he felt his stomach drop._

_"NO!" Izuku yelled, ready to scale that fence and jump down to rescue him. But a pair of arms grabbed him under his shoulders and held him in place, his legs kicking out. "TODOROKI!"_

_Todoroki gazed down at the blood running down his chest, the red coating Izuku's hoodie. He fell to his knees, looking exhausted. He turned his head back towards Izuku, his face looking peaceful. _

_Then, Todoroki smiled, wide and genuine, and even bearing his white teeth. Izuku shook his head, the tears just endlessly falling from his eyes._

_"Don't," Izuku begged. "Please."_

_An officer walked up to Todoroki, a pistol drawn. He put the gun against Todoroki's temple. _

_"No," Izuku begged. "No!" _

_Todoroki kept smiling at Izuku, though, and then he mouthed his next words._

_"I'm sorry."_

_The gun fired._

_And Todoroki's body fell limp to the ground._

_Izuku gasped, his chest trembling from the sheer panic that rose to his throat. _

_"NO!" Izuku yelled. "TODOROKI!"_

_He barely felt Kacchan hoist him back over his shoulder, his arm trembling as he carried Izuku away from the fence. _

_"TODOROKI!"_

_Izuku kept calling after Todoroki's name, his tears blurring his vision. _

_But Kacchan didn't slow down._

_And Todoroki's body didn't move._

* * *

Izuku stared at the computer screen with a grim look on his face. His eyes were tired, and his body was exhausted.

Deceased.

Words that plagued and haunted Izuku for two years.

And all at once, Izuku felt his body shut down. His chest felt cold, and his heart rate spiked. He felt sick to his stomach, and he pressed his fists close to his gut to stop it from churning. He wanted nothing more than to just get away from this place as quickly as he could.

But he was stuck, looking at the screen as if it had given him the worst news of his life.

Why did he have to relive this?

Was this his punishment?

For abandoning one of the greatest friends he ever had?

"Izuku?"

Izuku jumped and craned his head to look up at Todoroki, startling when he saw the scar. He managed to hold back a gasp and he turned back towards the computer, reminding himself that this Todoroki was definitely not _his_ Todoroki.

He wished _this_ Todoroki would stop calling him by his first name. It was starting to piss him off.

"What does it say?" Todoroki asked, head tilted.

Izuku frowned, his face falling into a tired glare.

"It says… It says she's deceased," Izuku answered.

Todoroki hesitated, and Kacchan grumbled about this being a waste of time. Todoroki leaned forward and gazed at the screen. Izuku studied his face, watching as his eyes widened as he scanned the screen, looking for more answers.

"No, that's…" Todoroki muttered. "She's… She's dead?"

Izuku sighed and stood up from the chair. "Looks like it."

Todoroki took a step back and shook his head. His hands curled into fists and he looked to Izuku in disbelief.

"This can't be right," Todoroki said. "She's got to be here somewhere."

Izuku frowned, growing tired of this dance. "She's not, Todoroki. It says she's dead, and the system would know."

"But…" Todoroki stood still, his back rigid with frustration. "How am I supposed to get back now?" He turned to Izuku, his eyes squinting slightly. "How am I supposed to get back home?"

Izuku sighed and then winced, giving Todoroki a pathetic shrug. "Sorry, Todoroki."

Todoroki shook his head again. "No, this… this can't be right. There has to be another way."

He turned to Izuku, putting a hand to his head. A drop of blood started to fall from his nose. Izuku's eyes widened at the sight of it.

"Todoroki?" Izuku called slowly, taking a step towards him.

Todoroki began to stumble, his eyes rolling into the back of his head.

"I have to… I have to get back to… I have to…"

Suddenly, Todoroki collapsed, making both Izuku and Kacchan startle.

"T-Todoroki?!" Izuku called, kneeling down to his lifeless body. More blood seeped from his nose and onto the tile floor.

Kacchan, from the door, rolled his eyes and groaned.

"You have _got_ to be shitting me!"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

* * *

…Ow

Ugh… My head…

Why is everything so dark?

My body feels… so heavy.

I just want to sleep…

_"He… Can …outo!"_

Huh? That voice.

_"…an you hear me?"_

Hear you? Who…

Ugh. I feel like my head is caving in.

_"Shouto!"_

Wait…

That's…

_"Shouto, fight it!"_

Izuku.

Izuku, is that you?

_"Midoriya, stay back."_

Wha…?

A… Aizawa-sensei?

_"But he moved! I saw him move!"_

Wait, I'll…

Why… Why can't I move?

Why can't I open my eyes?

Everything is so fuzzy…

_"He can hear me, I know he can! Shouto!"_

I can! Izuku!

_"Step outside, Midoriya."_

_"But—"_

_"Now."_

Wait. Izuku!

_"Sigh, okay… Shouto, please come back to us."_

I want to! Izuku, don't leave!

_"I'll be back when I can."_

No! Izuku!

_"Take care, Shouto."_

No! Don't leave!

Izuku!

**"No!"**

Shouto woke up with a gasp, his eyes popping open to stare at a dingy ceiling. He panted for several moments, trying to get his bearings straight.

He was laying on a bed, and a cold, wet washcloth was resting on his forehead. The top half of his suit had been removed, leaving him in just his white tank that he wears underneath. His body was hot, sweat gathering on his neck and shoulders, and his head felt as if it had been stuffed with cotton.

Slowly, Shouto sat up, removing the cold cloth from his head in the process. He grimaced and shut his eyes as the room swam, pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes.

Why did it feel like he just got hit by a bus? His whole body ached.

Once the throbbing dulled to something more tolerable, he took his hands from his face and glanced around, his eyes blearily adjusting to the room.

Worn walls, boarded up windows, dusty furniture…

It was the old hotel.

He was still in the other world.

Shouto groaned and put his face back in his hands, summoning his right side to cool himself down.

What in the world was that? A dream?

But he could've sworn he heard Izuku. _His_ Izuku. And Aizawa was there, too. They were calling out to him. Something about fighting it… and coming back? Just thinking about it made Shouto's head pound.

Suddenly, the door to his room creaked open and Iida walked inside, carrying a tray with a fresh towel and a bowl of water.

"Ah, Todoroki! You're awake!" Iida said, hurrying to his side. He set the tray down on the nightstand and placed a gentle hand on Shouto's forehead, waiting with a small frown. "You're still running a fever."

Shouto's brows creased as Iida's hand left his face. "A fever?"

"Yes," Iida said with a nod. "You passed out while on patrol with Midoriya and Bakugou. They carried you back here and you were burning up."

"I passed out?" Shouto asked, rubbing his face.

"Yes. Midoriya said you were in a bit of distress before your nose began to bleed. And then he said you lost consciousness," Iida explained. His brows pushed together. "Do you not remember?"

Shouto held his head, thinking back to the last thing he recalled. He remembered sneaking out with Izuku and Bakugou, and then going into the records facility near that awful prison. And then…

Ah. The villain.

_"It says she's deceased."_

Shouto frowned, closing his eyes in frustration. There had to be way out of this universe. There just had to be.

But first… he needed to take care of this pain in his head.

"How long was I out?" Shouto asked through grit teeth.

Iida grabbed the old towel from Shouto's lap and placed it on the tray, his hands reaching for the new one.

"Nearly six hours," Iida said, dunking the towel into the bowl of ice water.

Shouto groaned. "What?"

"They brought you in around 7 in the morning. It's well past noon, now," Iida explained. "Here, lie back."

Shouto wanted to protest, but the sincere look in Iida's eyes made him pack away his stubbornness. Iida didn't deserve to bear the brunt of his frustrations, especially when he's trying to help.

So Shouto complied, lying back against the sweat-stained sheets. Iida immediately pushed Shouto's bangs out of the way and placed the cool towel on his forehead. He sighed at the instant relief it brought to his headache.

"So… where are Izuku and Bakugou now?" Shouto asked, feeling a bit guilty that they had to carry him all the way back to the hotel.

"Bakugou is downstairs with the others. And Midoriya…" Iida winced slightly as he readjusted the cloth on Shouto's forehead. "Midoriya has been cooped up in his room since your return."

Shouto frowned. That didn't seem like Izuku.

"Is he okay?" Shouto asked weakly. "Did he get hurt?"

"Not that I could see," Iida said with his hand touching his chin in thought. "He said he just needed some time alone."

Shouto turned his gaze up to the ceiling and released a small breath. He could tell that Izuku had been acting strange in that records room. His tense hands and shortness of breath… It was obvious that Izuku was re-experiencing some kind of trauma.

Did it have to do with that room? It was pretty suspicious that he knew the exact way inside, too. It was as if he had done it before…

"Don't worry yourself over it, Todoroki," Iida said, pulling Shouto out of his thoughts. "Midoriya does these things sometimes. He'll come out of it."

Shouto's jaw clicked as he yawned, turning back to rest on the pillow. He nodded once and breathed out a sigh through his nose.

"I'll ask Tsuyu to make some soup," Iida said, grabbing the tray and standing to his feet. He turned towards the door. "You should rest here until you've broken that fever."

Shouto's hands weakly gripped the sheets as he stared at Iida's retreating back. "Okay. Thank you, Iida."

"Of course!" Iida said with a smile. "We're all like a family here, after all. We look out for one another."

Shouto managed a small smile at that. Even Iida, without his super speed or exhausts on his legs, was still always looking out for everyone.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have some interesting shackles to look into!" Iida said.

Shouto hummed in response and let his body sink back into the bed. The heaviness of his body made his eyelids droop closed. He heard the door shut but it felt far, far away, and he dozed for only a minute or two until slumber overtook him once again.

* * *

Iida shut Todoroki's door behind him and sighed, feeling the stress of the day weighing on him already. It was bad enough that Kaminari had gotten injured, but now one of their own was sick. And he didn't have the slightest clue why.

"How is he?"

Iida gasped and whirled around, nearly dropping the tray in his hands.

"Midoriya!" Iida called, seeing his friend hovering by the door. "You gave me a fright!"

Midoriya scratched his cheek and averted his gaze. "Sorry," he mumbled. "I just wanted to know how Todoroki was doing. Is he awake?"

Iida balanced the tray in one hand and adjusted his glasses. "Yes, but I think he's going to go back to sleep. He's still got a fever, so he needs as much rest as possible."

Midoriya frowned, nodding almost as if to himself.

"I see," Midoriya said, running his fingers through his short hairs on the back of his head. "Did you figure out what caused the fever?"

Iida shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. Are you sure you guys didn't get into anything dangerous while you were out?"

Midoriya nodded, looking at the ground. "We were all in the same place, Iida. If there was something in the air, then Kacchan and I would've passed out, too."

"Oh," Iida said with a soft sigh. "I suppose you're right."

Midoriya shifted his weight between his feet and bit his lip. He glanced at Todoroki's door and then let out a frustrated breath. He started to turn away, his eyes gazing at the stairwell. Was he really about to just go back down to his room? He'd already been in there for hours.

"Well, call me if anything changes, Iida," Midoriya said, dragging himself to the stairwell.

"Ah, Midoroya!" Iida called on instinct, wanting only for Midoriya to stay with the others. "Don't you want to go see him?"

The last time Midoriya had locked himself in his room was a disaster. No one could convince him to leave for three days straight, and Bakugou even refused to drag him from his room. It wasn't until Uraraka and Iida both stormed his room and forcefully dragged him out that he started to come around.

That was nearly two years ago.

"…No," Midoriya said. "I'll check up on him later."

Iida took in Midoriya's poor expression and swallowed nervously. It was happening all over again, wasn't it?

"Midoriya," Iida called, making the boy stop at the stairwell. "Are you all right?"

Midoriya hesitated, but answered with a light hum. It didn't really give Iida an affirmative answer.

"Thank you for taking care of him," Midoriya added.

Iida frowned at his response but he didn't want to press. Talking to Midoriya when he was like this was like teaching a fish to fly.

"Of course," he answered, dejected. "But, Midorya?"

Midoriya stopped again, looking back at Iida with a blank expression. "Hm?"

"Please don't shut yourself out again," Iida asked, almost begged.

Midoriya's brows twitched slightly, but the rest of the body remained rigid. He was officially closed off to everyone, and no one could break through his walls once he built them up.

"…Right. Thanks, Iida."

With those parting words, Midoriya descended the stairwell and out of sight, leaving Iida standing back with a heavy heart.

* * *

_"Get up, Shouto. Your training isn't done."_

It was hot.

_"You have a sad look in your eyes, Todoroki, my boy. Even though I'm not the number one hero anymore, you can still depend on me."_

Wait. No. It was cold.

_"Ah, there you are, Todoroki! We're going out for some ice cream, wanna come with?"_

Warm…

_"You don't belong here."_

Huh?

Same green eyes, but not the same haircut. No scars.

Just a cold look.

_"You're not from this world."_

_"You're not the Todoroki I know."_

_"You need to leave!"_

_"Leave!"_

_"Don't come back!"_

Shouto startled awake again.

His peaceful slumber had been plagued with multiple fever-induced dreams that left him reeling. Seeing his friends and his father in the same dream was bad enough, but to have his best friend tell him to never come back was jarring. It just about made his stomach churn.

He really needed to get back home.

But how?

So instead of trying to sleep again, Shouto sat in the bed for a little while, just staring up at the ceiling and turning his thoughts over in his head, until he began to feel too hot and sticky from sweat. And once the nausea faded, his empty belly was beginning to long for food.

After a few deep breaths, he finally pulled the blanket off of him and pushed himself to his feet. He stumbled a bit, holding his head after a dizzy spell hit him, and he shuffled towards the door and pulled it open, wiping the sweat from his brow. The fever really knocked the wind out of him.

Shouto rarely got fevers, but when he did, they would always make his entire body ache for days. He remembered the last time he had a nauseating cold during their second year. The entire class seemed worried, which confused the hell out of Shouto, and they all took turns coming to his room to check on him.

Izuku, of course, was his most frequent visitor.

He managed to make it down the stairs—they just _had_ to put him on the top floor—and down to the basement. He opened the door to the room and got a waft of an amazing-smelling dish. His mouth instantly watered.

"Todoroki!"

Uraraka was the first to notice him and call out to him, gaining the attention of the rest of the group in the room. She rushed over to his side and gently held onto his arm to help him into the room. She led him to one of the tables where Iida sat, his hands fiddling with Bakugou's and Kirishima's melted shackles.

"Geez, aren't you cold?" Uraraka asked as she sat him down.

Shouto blinked at her for a moment and then felt a light chill on his feet. He glanced down and realized that he had walked down in just his tank top and pants, no shoes to cover his toes. But it wasn't too much of a problem. His quirk had finally stabilized enough for him to control it.

"I'm fine," Shouto insisted.

"Are you sure?" Iida asked, standing to his feet. He leaned over the table and felt Shouto's forehead. "You don't feel warm…"

Shouto gently pushed Iida's hand away. "I'm fine, Iida. Really."

Iida looked unconvinced but he nodded and sat back down to continue taking apart the shackles.

Tsuyu was the next to come by, a bowl in her large hands. "I made soup, ribbit. Would you like some?"

Shouto released a breath and reached out to take the bowl from her.

"Thank you," he said, immediately digging in. He sighed again at the taste. He can't remember having a meal this good in a while.

"You're welcome," Tsuyu said with a smile, and she walked back over to the makeshift stove.

Shouto sighed as he took more bites of the soup, feeling pleasantly warm all over. The others each came by to see how Shouto was doing, save for Bakugou who was brooding in the corner, but one face remained absent.

Shouto pulled the spoon from his mouth and eyed Iida from across the table, watching as he tinkered with the shackles. He glanced around the room, wondering if he maybe missed him. But his green-eyed companion was nowhere to be found.

"Is Izuku…" Shouto's voice trailed off, thinking back to what Iida had told him earlier.

"He's in his room," Iida said softly, moving his eyes back down to the shackles.

Shouto blinked, his eyes looking back to Bakugou. He was now giving Shouto the stink eye, which made him feel a bit uneasy.

"Still?" Shouto asked warily. He glanced over to the clock that hung crookedly on the wall. It had been a few hours since he last spoke to Iida. "He hasn't come out all day?"

"What's it to ya, half 'n half?" Bakugou suddenly spouted from his corner.

Uraraka and Iida glanced up at him, both of them waving their hands in the air to get him to stop. But Bakugou stuffed his good hand in his pocket and slinked over to the table.

"Worried that you got his ass captured when you decided to take a nap?" Bakugou asked.

Shouto furrowed his brows. "It wasn't intentional."

"Bakugou, you're being unreasonable," Iida said.

"Yeah! It wasn't his fault, so chill out, would ya?" Uraraka said.

Bakugou sneered at them and scoffed, sauntering away like he had something in his pants. Iida and Uraraka gave him a longsuffering look and sighed.

"He's as grouchy as ever," Uraraka said.

"Mmn. Bakugou was like this the last time Midoriya shut himself in his room," Iida mentioned.

Shouto snapped his head back to Iida, eyes a little wide. "Last time?"

Uraraka and Iida exchanged another look before looking away sadly. Iida spoke up first.

"It was a few years ago. Midoriya came back from a rescue mission and then he just… locked himself in his room for three days," Iida explained.

Shouto blinked. "Did he say why?"

Uraraka shook her head. "He wouldn't tell any of us. So we ended up dropping it." She gazed back to the stairs that led to the rooms.

"He came out of it eventually so we thought he was fine," Iida said. "We didn't press the matter after that."

"Although," Uraraka started, crossing her arms, "Deku _did _start doing patrols by himself around that time. He got much colder then, too."

Shouto creased his brows and glanced down at his empty bowl. He vaguely wondered if Izuku was upset that he fainted. It _was_ his idea to go to the records facility in the first place, even with knowing the dangers that Izuku so adamantly emphasized. He should go apologize.

He pushed himself up from the table and bowed politely to the ones at the table. He quietly thanks Tsuyu for the meal and went back to the stairwell. With the strange dreams and oddly realistic voices that had plagued his head over the past day, he wanted to resolve this as soon as possible.

_"It says she's deceased."_

Shouto frowned hard.

He also needed to figure out a way home. And at this point, Izuku was the one person who could truly help him out.

He climbed the stairs until he reached the level below his, just before the top floor, and then walked down the hallway towards Izuku's room. He was sure no one got hurt while they were at the facility, but he wanted to be sure. He had to see with his own eyes that Izuku was unharmed.

As Shouto approached Izuku's room, he could hear the familiar harsh voice of Bakugou talking lowly from the bedroom doorway.

"You really staying in here again?" Bakugou asked.

Shouto heard Izuku sigh. "I'm not in the mood for this."

"You're never in the mood when you're feeling sorry for yourself like this," Bakugou said, folding his arms across his chest.

"I'm not feeling sorry for myself."

"Then what do you call this?" Bakugou gestured towards the inside of Izuku's room.

"Sigh. Please just go away," Izuku said softly.

Shouto bit his lip and approached with caution. Bakugou might not have been as powerful as the Bakugou he knew, but he could still make some pretty nasty explosions.

His feet made the floor creak and Bakugou's head turned to gaze at him, a scowl on his face.

"What the hell, Clone? I thought you were stuffing your face downstairs," Bakugou growled.

"I just wanted to see if Izuku was all right," Shouto said, stopping short of the door.

"Tch. For what? So you can make him go back out on a risky suicide mission again?" Bakugou snarled, making Shouto wince.

"Kacchan!"

Izuku suddenly appeared in the doorway, his hand on Bakugou's bicep.

"Izuku," Shouto called in surprise.

"Just calm down, okay?" Izuku said. "We don't want the building to come crashing down."

Bakugou huffed and shrugged off Izuku's hand. He moved to lean on the adjacent wall, his arms folded across his chest and a glare fixed on his face. Shouto ignored his hostility and turned to Izuku.

"Are you okay?" Shouto asked. "You didn't get hurt, did you?"

Izuku blinked up at him, and Shouto could see that his green eyes looked a bit clouded over.

"I'm fine," Izuku said, averting his gaze. "Are you better now?"

Shouto could practically feel the wall that Izuku had suddenly built. He was being so distant. It was so backwards to what he was used to, when his Izuku would simply blab everything that was troubling his heart.

But this Izuku was like a music box. He had to be wound up with a key to get going.

"Yes," Shouto answered. "I woke up a little bit ago."

Izuku nodded. "Good. That's… good." He turned back towards his room. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some things to work on here."

Shouto furrowed his brows and took a step forward. "I was hoping I could talk to you about what we found at the facility."

Izuku looked at him with scrutiny on his face, his eyes now sharp and his mouth pulled into a tight line. Bakugou tensed against the wall he was leaning on.

"What about it?" Izuku asked.

"Well, you could look up different prisoners by their quirks, right?" Shouto asked.

Izuku shrugged. "Yeah, and?"

"I was wondering if there was anyone in there with a quirk similar to hers," Shouto said. "Someone with a time-space quirk, or something."

Izuku sighed, looking peeved. "No, there wasn't. Are we done?"

Shouto straightened his back, feeling appalled.

"Izuku, what's going—"

"Will you _stop_ calling me that?" Izuku snapped, whirling around to face Shouto. "Only Todoroki could call me that! You have no right to!"

Shouto blinked at him, Tsuyu's delicious soup suddenly turning to lead inside his stomach.

"But we're friends," Shouto tried.

"No, we're _not,"_ Izuku said. "_Todoroki_ and I were friends. Not you and me. Don't lump me in with you."

Shouto stood rigid, his hands curling into fists. Izuku and the others from his world had taught him a lot about making friendships and opening up to others. But this was going beyond what Shouto could handle alone. He had no idea what to do, and the pain in his heart wasn't helping one bit.

"But you said you would help me find a way home," Shouto said, feeling confused. "How can you help if you don't even want to talk to—"

"I'm done trying to help you," Izuku said. "It's way too risky, and I refuse to put anymore of our friends in danger because of _you!"_

All at once, Shouto's stomach bottomed out. Out of all the things he expected Izuku to say, those words weren't it. He never thought he would have to face Izuku like this. He swallowed down the rejection and all of the thoughts that reminded him of his father and turned around.

He could find a way home without their help. He wasn't needed in this world, anyway.

Besides, he had people waiting for him on the other side.

He had to get back to them and finish out his third year with his best friends by his side.

"Fine," Shouto said as he stormed towards the stairwell. "I'll figure it out on my own."

* * *

Iida barely cracked open one of the components of the shackles, his eyes tired from working on them all day.

He was no mechanic, nor did he dabble with construction or building, but he knew a little bit about technology, and these shackles could give Iida plenty of insight. If it was a chance to learn more about the people who were hunting them down like boars, then Iida would take it in a heartbeat.

"Let's see here…" Iida mumbled to himself as he used a flathead screwdriver to open the mechanism of the lock. Several colorful wires were resting inside. "Incredible."

"What's incredible?" Momo asked, taking a seat next to him.

"Ah, well these shackles are more than what they seem," Iida said. "There is so much technology and high-tech parts woven inside that it's no wonder they're so heavy."

"So that's Kirishima and Bakugou's wrists hurt so badly," Uraraka said as she took the seat next to Momo's.

"Indeed," Iida said.

"What all did you find out?" Momo asked.

"Well, it seems that the shackles are loaded with several vials of quirk suppressants," Iida said. He pointed to the little needles on the inside of the shackles, the parts that weren't melted. "And they were fed to these needles here. So whenever they moved, they would get a small dose of it."

"That's horrible," Momo said, putting a hand over her mouth.

"They didn't seem to be too bothered by it, though," Uraraka said.

"Well, the needles aren't very big, so I'm sure they didn't even recognize it," Iida said. "But what was really interesting was Bakugou's shackles."

He pulled Bakugou's shackles to the center of the table and opened up the compartment for the vials. All of the vials were cracked and empty.

"It seems Bakugou's rough nature made all of these break open," Iida explained. "But it must've taken him ages. These vials seem very secure."

"That sounds like something Bakugou would do," Uraraka said. "He did say he had been working on them all night the day Kirishima ran into him."

"Do you think we would be able to do the same thing? To the shackles, I mean," Momo asked, putting her hand to her chin.

Iida pulled his lip to the side in a small wince. "I'm not so sure. None of them knew about the vials inside. Bakugou only figured out that it was the shackles that was causing their quirks, but he didn't know how."

"So it's not the vans?" Uraraka asked, surprised.

"Precisely," Iida said, a smile on his face. "Now I'm just trying to learn more about their technology."

"Looks complicated," Uraraka mentioned.

"It is," Iida said with a small chuckle.

"Need any help?" Momo asked, leaning closer to look down at the shackles.

"Ah, that would be wonderful!" Iida said. "There's another few compartments in here that I'm trying to—"

Suddenly, the door of the stairwell swung open, and then a frustrated Todoroki came storming through the basement, his hands in fists and his jaw set. Everyone in the room watched him with stunned expression as he headed straight for the exit.

"Ah, Todoroki!" Iida called. "Where are you going?"

Todoroki only paused at the door for a moment to nod once, avoiding everyone's concerned gaze.

"There's just something I need to do," Todoroki said.

"Are you even well enough to move around like that?" Momo asked, concern in her voice.

"I'm fine," Todoroki sighed, hand grabbing the handle of the door. "Sorry. Thanks for taking care of me."

And with those parting words, Todoroki opened the door and ascended the staircase in a flash, the door swinging shut behind him.

"Whoa, what's with him?" Sero asked from the couch.

"Yeah, he seemed really uptight," Sato commented, arms across his chest.

"Should we go after him?" Hagakure asked.

Before anyone could even move, there were pounding footsteps coming from the stairwell, and a frazzled Midoriya came rushing out, an agitated Bakugou on his heels.

"Damn it! Why did you let me say all that?" Midoriya asked.

"Oh, so you're gonna blame _me_ for your flapping gums?!" Bakugou yelled.

"Ugh!" Midoriya whined. "Let's just go after him!"

And then, in a flash, Midoriya and Bakugou rushed up the exit stairwell and closed the door behind them, hurrying after Todoroki, or who knows what.

The room fell into a strange silence, everyone exchanging confused glances. Sero coughed into his fist and turned back around on the sofa next to Kaminari and Kirishima.

"Well, that was… weird," Kaminari said. "We should see what's going on, shouldn't we?"

"They should be fine," Kirishima said. "The three of them can handle themselves. I'm sure they just had a disagreement or something."

Kirishima's words seemed to diffuse everyone's nerves, the room letting out a collective sigh.

Iida turned back to Momo with a small smile and handed her a screwdriver.

"Shall we continue?" he asked her.

She nodded once and got right to work on helping Iida open the remaining compartment on the shackles. They used whatever tools they had lying around. Momo even tried summoning different tools from her body, but they didn't seem to work, either.

After a while, they still couldn't get it open, and they sat back in their chairs. Iida was ready to call it quits when Kirishima walked past them, his hands thrown back behind his head.

"What's up, guys? You look just as down as Midoriya earlier," he mentioned.

"We've been trying to get this open," Momo said, pointing to the square compartment.

Kirishima tilted his head and glanced down at it. He scratched his chin and then studied his own hand, his brow arching.

"Maybe I could help?" he asked, a smile appearing on his face as he hardened his arm.

Iida handed him the shackles and Kirishima used his hardened hand to try to pry underneath the compartment. His muscles strained as the shackles creaked, and then the delightful sound of a crack rang in their ears. The piece flung off and bounced on the floor, revealing a small, flat square microchip.

"Huh… What is this thing?" Kirishima asked, showing Iida and Momo.

Iida quirked a brow and took the shackles from Kirishima's hand, bringing it close to his face to look at the chip. There was nothing fancy about it, but it must've been important.

"Do you think there's information on it?" Momo asked.

Iida gently grabbed the microchip and pulled it out, sighing softly when there were no alarms or explosions, and studied the small square.

"There aren't any grooves here, so I doubt it would fit into a normal computer," Iida said. "Not like we have a computer anyway…"

He stroked his chin for a moment, thinking over the list of possibilities as to why a prison facility would need to put microchips inside shackles…

Suddenly, his heart leapt inside his chest.

"Yaoyorozu," Iida said, turning towards her. "Do you still remember those books about tracking devices?"

Momo blinked at him. "Yes, I've… I mean, I've looked at them somewhat. Why?"

Iida gave her the small square, his face sullen. "What does this look like to you?"

Momo looked at it, eyes squinting as she flipped it over in her hands.

Then, she gasped.

"This is—"

She stopped short when there were three knocks at the door.

Only three. Not Midoriya's usual six. But three.

"Are they back already?" Sato asked, standing to his feet. He walked over to the exit door, grabbing ahold of the handle.

Iida jumped to his feet and reached out his hand.

"Sato!" Iida called in a panic. "Don't open the door!"

But it was too late.

Sato's hand already creaked the door open, and as soon as it opened, police forced their way inside with their guns drawn and helmets on their heads. Everyone stood to their feet and backed away from the door, all in shock.

"You're all under arrest!" one of the officers yelled, aiming his gun at Iida.

"Iida, what do we do?" Uraraka asked, tears in her eyes.

Iida stood his ground, his hands curling into fists. He knew he wasn't as fast without his exhausts on his calves, and he wasn't as strong as this Todoroki or Bakugou, but he couldn't just stand here and surrender. He had to keep everyone safe.

He turned to look at the others, eyes wide and determined, until they landed on Uraraka's.

"We fight."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

* * *

"No, don't—"

Iida cried out as the officer stepped on his glasses, breaking them apart and shooting tiny glass pieces everywhere. He grit his teeth and tried to push himself off of the floor, but the three officers that were weighing him down were too strong.

"Got them shackled up?" one officer asked the other.

Two officers hauled up Kirishima, his hands once again in shackles and his eyes filling with tears.

"Please, just let me go," he begged. "_Please."_

The officers ignored his pleas and hauled him up the stairs, and Momo and Uraraka were the next ones to go, bruises and dirt on their faces from the scuffle. Iida winced at the sight. They were so innocent in this entire thing. They did nothing to deserve such poor treatment.

"Okay, get up!"

Suddenly, Iida was yanked to his feet by the officers around him, his cheek throbbing from the bruise and cut just under his eye. He grunted as he was shoved forward, and he couldn't brace himself against anything with his hands cuffed behind his back.

"Get moving," the officer said, digging the barrel of the gun into Iida's back.

Iida sighed and glanced around the home they had made for themselves for the past few years. All of their belongings were there, their memories. And now the place was a mess—all of the girls' homey decorations were in tatters, and the card games Kirishima and Kaminari found were scattered on the floor.

It was a pitiful sight that made Iida's stomach churn.

"I _said,"_ the officer warned, giving him another shove, "get _moving!"_

Iida stumbled forward towards the exit and climbed the staircase with his head hanging, dejected and feeling pain all over. He was forced into the back of the van along with the rest of his friends and slumped down in his seat next to Uraraka.

"Is he the last one?"

"I'll do another search."

Three police stood by the opened back doors while two others descended back down the staircase.

Iida watched on with mild curiosity and sighed, turning his head back to the inside of the van. He looked at all of the dejected faces of his friends as they all sat with their hands shackled and heads down. He took in their appearances and counted their injuries, making sure they were all okay.

Kirishima was covered in little scars right along with Kaminari, who had not fully recovered from his first scuffle with the protesters. Sato and Sero also had some bruising, but overall looked all right. Uraraka and Momo had some dirt and scuffs on their faces. Tsuyu looked worn out, possibly with a broken arm.

Iida sighed, shaking his head. What a mess. Even the girls were banged up. All four of them.

All four…

Iida lifted up his head and glanced around.

Uraraka, Momo, Tsuyu, and…

Hagakure.

Where was Hagakure?

"All clear!"

Iida snapped his head to the back of the van, watching as the police came back up from the basement stairwell empty-handed. No extra invisible body stumbling behind them.

A small teary-eyed smile tugged on Iida's lips as the police shut the back of the van doors. But the tears weren't because of sadness. He was brimming with pride.

* * *

_"Todoroki, over here!"_

_Shouto ran sluggishly as Midoriya waved him over to the forest section of the simulation. Of all the days that Shouto had to start feeling ill, why did it have to be on a day where the UA teachers decided to do a surprise survival drill?_

_They were each split into different environments in the newly renovated USJ, and some lower-ranking Pro-Heroes were scattered about. Shouto had come across Midoriya by chance, but out of all the people he could've been stuck with, he was thankful it was his teary-eyed powerful friend._

_"Are you okay?" Midoriya asked, eyes concerned as he looked over Shouto's body. "You look like you're gonna pass out."_

_Shouto wiped the sweat from his neck. "That may be a possibility."_

_"W-What?!" Midoriya squeaked._

_Shouto waved him off. "It's nothing."_

_"Are you sure? I can probably go out and find one of the teachers to let you go to Recovery Girl," Midoriya offered. "You don't have to finish this if you're not feeling well. They'll understand."_

_"I'll be fine. Let's just finish this drill and get to the safe zone," Shouto said. _

_"Okay. But I'm sticking by your side," Midoriya said. "I don't want you fainting on me."_

_Shouto pushed himself upright and nodded, a small sigh escaping his lips. He could hear his father's words haunting him even now._

_'Get up.'_

_'How do you ever expect to surpass All Might when you grovel like this?'_

_'You're weak, Shouto!'_

_'Weak!'_

_Shouto shuddered and shook the thoughts away, instead, making his way to follow Midoriya through the quiet forest. He could tell that he was starting to get a fever by how hot his left side was fuming. But he pushed through, focusing all of his energy on watching Midoriya's back as they walked. _

_They reached a small clearing and stopped while Midoriya gazed around the area, trying to find the safe zone. _

_"I think if we head north, we can find the exit," Midoriya said. _

_Shouto nodded, instantly regretting the movement when his vision swam a bit. He sighed and pressed his cold hand to his forehead. _

_"Yeah, sounds good," Shouto said._

_Midoriya winced. "Todoroki, are you—"_

_But before he could even get the sentence out, a large, grayish sphere came hurling towards them, the ball disintegrating into the earth and creating a massive crater. _

_Midoriya latched onto Shouto's wrist and tugged him out of the way before any of the debris could hit. _

_"What was that?" Shouto asked, his hand coming up to touch his head. _

_Midoriya stood to his feet and pointed up to the sky. "Oh! It's Warlock!"_

_Shouto gazed up in the air and saw the Pro-Hero hovering in the air, his hands stretched out in front of him as another gray sphere formed in between his palms. _

_"His explosions are created by highly concentrated density that he compacts into a single sphere," Midoriya explained. "They're so dense that they explode on impact. It's like getting hit with a meteor!"_

_Great, Shouto thought. Just what his headache needed._

_"C'mon, Todoroki!" Midoriya said, yanking him to his feet. "Let's hurry to the exit before he gets to us!"_

_"Not so fast, little ones," Warlock said as he created another large sphere just above them._

_Midoriya stuttered to a stop, his eyes flitting back and forth between Shouto and the forest. He reared his fist back, his arm crackling to life with green lightning. _

_"What exactly are you planning, Midoriya?" Shouto asked. _

_"Stay behind me, Todoroki," he responded._

_"No way," Shouto said, moving to stand next to Midoriya. "If you punch that thing, it'll break your spine."_

_With every ounce of strength he had left, Shouto summoned his ice to create a long, sleek tunnel that pointed up to the sky. Then, he created a fireball so hot that it was white, and he pushed it into the tunnel, all the while keeping the ice well below freezing. _

_"Todoroki, what the heck are you doing?!" Midoriya asked in a panic. "If you keep that up, you'll pass out!"_

_But Shouto ignored him, and instead focused on making the fireball even hotter. He could feel his insides scrambling as the two temperatures conflicted with one another, but he kept going, almost making the fire turn blue._

_Then, once he was at his maximum, he pushed the massive fireball through the tunnel._

_The fireball shot up through the tunnel and out the other side, melting the edge of the ice tunnel as it flung up towards Warlock. _

_"What the—" Warlock said, eyes wide._

_Before Warlock could defend himself, the fire hit his density sphere, causing it to explode, and Warlock was sent flying back several yards and into the forest below._

_Midoriya stood, shocked as his jaw practically hit the floor._

_"Whoa!" Midoriya said in shock. "Todoroki, that was amazing! How did you manage to—"_

_Midoriya's words froze on his tongue when he turned around to look at Shouto and watched as his friend collapsed to the ground. _

_"W-Wha, Shouto!" Midoriya yelled, hurrying over to his side. He fell onto his knees next to Shouto's limp form. "Shouto, talk to me."_

_Shouto lolled his head to the side to face Midoriya, a smile tugging on his lips. His green-eyed friend was blurry. That wasn't good._

_"You… You called me Shouto," he said, his tongue slurring a bit. _

_"Ah… I did, didn't I?" Midoriya said, holding Shouto's face in his hands._

_"Does… Does that mean I can call you Izuku?" Shouto asked. _

_Midoriya smiled wetly. "Well, we're friends, aren't we?"_

_Shouto nodded in Midoriya's—Izuku's—grasp and let himself smile. "Yeah. Friends…"_

_"Shouto," Izuku called, sounding a bit alarmed._

_"You're my first friend," Shouto said, closing his eyes._

_"No, no. You have to stay awake, Shouto!" Izuku called._

_"Shouto!"_

_"Stay awake!"_

_"Help! Someone, he's—he's passed out! I think he's sick!"_

_"Shouto!"_

* * *

Shouto walked as fast as his wobbly legs could take him. His chest was fuming and his left side was threatening to burst forth in a large flame.

The dizziness was back in full swing but he was too angry to care. He felt that the stability of his emotions was standing on the edge of a cliff, and any little thing will set him off.

It was confusing. Izuku was his best friend. But hearing those painful words coming from his mouth made him feel betrayed. His body felt disgusting. He should've showered before leaving…

He wasn't sure how far he got before the dizziness washed over him like a warm wave, and he stumbled forward when the road swayed beneath his feet, his arm shooting out to grab onto anything before his face kissed the pavement. He caught himself on a nearby building and hunched forward, heaving in deep breaths.

Damn it, he thought, holding his head. Damn this. Damn this whole universe.

He wanted to go home.

But would Izuku treat him the same way there? Did _his_ Izuku really want him in the same agency with him?

Shouto gripped his chest near his heart, feeling pain in his chest. Was he dying?

"Todoroki!"

Shouto sucked in a sharp breath and lifted his head to gaze down the sidewalk, watching as two blurry figures got closer and closer. The voice was sickeningly familiar, and Shouto wanted to throw up. He _hated_ that there was so much negative emotion towards his best friend.

He really needed to get out of this world.

Shouto turned around and stumbled forward, trying to escape the bodies that quickly approached him.

"Todoroki, wait!" Izuku—or was it Midoriya now?—called, his voice getting closer.

"Oi, half'n half, slow down!" Bakugou's voice was close behind, and Shouto's chest tightened in annoyance.

"Just leave me alone," Shouto said, his voice slurring a bit. Why did it feel like his tongue was swollen?

"Todoroki, stop."

Suddenly, Izuku's voice was right next to his ear. Shouto felt a hand touch his back while another cradled his elbow.

"Let go," Shouto said as he tried pushing Izuku away.

"No, you look like you're going to faint!" Izuku said, frantic.

Shouto swallowed, a hand coming to his head as he grit out a rough, "I'm fine."

"As if, Clone," Bakugou said, folding his arms across his chest. "You look like shit."

"Have you looked in a mirror lately?" Shouto quipped.

"You little _bastard!"_

Izuku quickly stepped in between them, putting his hand out to press against Bakugou's chest before he could stomp any closer. Shouto didn't mind. Even on wobbly legs, he was still ready to take Bakugou on.

"Enough!" Izuku said to Bakugou, who huffed and then folded his arms across his chest. Izuku sighed and looked back at Shouto, his eyes brimming over with sadness. "Todoroki, what I said before—"

"Save it," Shouto said, turning away. He took deep breaths and stood upright, squinting down the road. His vision was beginning to clear up. He must've run too hard after his strange spell earlier. "It's fine. I can figure it out on my own."

"I didn't mean to push you away," Izuku said, latching on to Shouto's arm. "I was just… I was working through something and you happened to get caught in the middle."

Shouto stared at him, frowning hard and eyeing Izuku's hand on his forearm. Izuku noticed the glare and let go of Shouto's arm, putting up his palm flat in surrender.

"It's not that I don't want to help. I just don't want it done at the expense of the others," Izuku said.

Shouto looked away. "It never was."

Izuku opened and shut his mouth, speechless for once. He also averted his gaze and fidgeted in place, his fingers tapping against each other.

"I know. It was wrong of me to get angry with you," Izuku admitted. "I guess I was just afraid. My friends, they're…" His eyes teared up a little, and the sight was like a kick in Shouto's gut. "They're all the family I've got now."

Shouto sighed softly as Izuku began to scrub away the tears from his cheeks before they could completely fall. He'd seen Izuku cry multiple times, and over stupid things, so the behavior wasn't new. But to hear Izuku talk so sadly about something like this forced a lump to sit in Shouto's throat.

"I've… I've lost some of my… my family," Izuku said through sniffles. "I know it was wrong of me to yell at you and to force you out. But you understand my fear, don't you?"

He looked up at Shouto with pleading, shimmery eyes.

"I don't want to lose another person I care about."

Shouto's chest was too tight. He sighed to try to release the tension, making the knots slowly start to unravel. His chest managed to expand painfully as he took another breath.

"I didn't mean to say those things, Todoroki," Izuku said.

"Then why did you?" Shouto blurted. "Am I really such a burden? Just by being here?"

"No!" Izuku yelped, putting out his hands. A few tears sprung from his eyes. "It's not that, not at all! I just…"

He stopped, exchanging a heartbreaking look with Bakugou before turning his gaze back to Shouto, his eyes still watery.

"I'm sorry, Todoroki," Izuku started. "I know that my actions have been selfish and harsh, and you deserve to know why."

He curled his hands into fists and averted his eyes, a crease forming in between his brows as his shoulders slumped into a dejected pose.

"So I promise I will explain everything," he continued.

Shouto stayed silent, letting Izuku's words echo in his mind. Out of the several days he had spent next to this Izuku's side, he didn't recall a time that he ever apologized. It left him stunned and a little jaded.

Izuku's hand found Shouto's back, holding him up carefully, and Shouto then realized he had been leaning against the building next to him.

"But can we… talk this out at the base?" Izuku asked, looking at Shouto with concern. His fingers pressed into his shoulder blades. "You're still warm. I think Iida should look at you again."

Shouto's tense shoulders finally fell and he sighed, nodding once. Izuku sighed in relief and helped Shouto to lean against him.

"Oh, thank goodness. I really thought I blew it," Izuku said, a sad smile on his face.

Shouto stood up straight and wrapped his arm around Izuku's shoulders, allowing his weight to rest against him. He let out a shallow sigh.

"You're lucky the other 'you' is my best friend," Shouto said.

"S-So… that's the only reason?" Izuku asked sheepishly.

"Yes."

"Yikes," Izuku breathed, a sad smiled on his face as he began to take baby steps. "I'll have to do my best to be a better friend, then."

Shouto managed a small smile in response. "I'd like to see that."

Bakugou rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue, turning his back towards them.

"Will you two idiots hurry up? I'm starving!" Bakugou growled.

"Yes, yes, we're coming!"

* * *

The trek back to the base took a lot longer than they were expecting.

Shouto had made it further away from the base than he thought—with his swirling thoughts and dizziness that had rampaged him, he couldn't keep track of time. Not only this, but Shouto had to stop a few times when a bout of nausea hit him, his insides threatened to spill out.

Izuku was patient with him while Bakugou scoffed and threatened to kick his ass into gear. Shouto ignored the latter and stuck with leaning against Izuku's smaller frame.

When they finally reached the stretch of road that led to the hotel, Shouto slumped in relief, making Izuku chuckle softly.

"You shouldn't have run so far," Izuku said.

Shouto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I guess I'll think about that the next time I'm kicked out."

"You weren't kicked out…" Izuku said quietly.

"Ugh, I'm gonna kick _both_ of you out if you don't hurry up," Bakugou said, stomping towards the corner to get to the alleyway. "Now, I get first dibs on grub. You slackers can…"

Bakugou's voice died on his tongue as he jolted to a stop, his eyes fixed on the entrance. Izuku and Shouto both furrowed their brows and approached cautiously.

"Kacchan? What is it?" Izuku asked. He helped Shouto towards Kacchan's side. "Is everything…"

They both stopped short as they stared at the hatch doors—both wide open to the world.

"Oi, Deku," Bakugou called. "Did we… leave this open when we ran after Halfie?"

Izuku's breaths became shallow, coming in little pants as his eyes widened with worry.

"No. No, we closed it," Izuku said.

Shouto slowly let go of Izuku's shoulders and stood on his feet. His heart was fluttering around his ribs in a worried dance, making him feel uneasy.

"Then… Do you think one of the others left it open?" Shouto asked.

Izuku didn't hesitate. "No."

In a flash, Izuku rushed down the stairs.

"O-Oi!" Bakugou called, hurrying after him.

Shouto stumbled after them, being careful not to trip down the steps on the way down. He gingerly entered the main level and his breath stopped short in his chest.

The room was a mess.

Furniture had been tipped over, and the food that Tsuyu had been making was on the floor. A pair of glasses were shattered next to Izuku's feet and a deck of cards had been scattered about.

"What… What happened here?" Shouto asked, using his hand to lean against the nearby wall. He thought he was going to faint again.

Izuku stood stock still, his hands shaking by his sides. He took in wispy breaths as his shoulder rose by his ears.

"Damn this!" Bakugou shouted, kicking a chair. "Damn this all to _hell!"_

"Where… Where is everyone?" Shouto asked hesitantly.

Izuku took in another breath. "They're gone."

Shouto looked at him, brows knitting together. He swallowed thickly and breathed, his chest shuddering.

"What do you mean?" Shouto asked.

Izuku turned around to look at Shouto with the saddest eyes he had ever seen on him. The look on his face was like a punch to the gut.

"Izuku…" Shouto called, feeling his chest rattle. "You—"

"M-M-Midoriya?"

All three of them froze as a small voice whimpered from the bottom kitchen cabinet, the door open just a fraction. They all blinked at the sound and Midoriya took a few steps towards it.

He opened the cabinet door further, and as soon as it was open, something hit his body and he tumbled backwards, gasping as his back hit the ground. Shouto and Bakugou hurried to his side, ready to pull him off of the floor, when the voice spoke again.

"Midoriya! I'm so glad you're back!"

Izuku's breath hitched. "H-Hagakure?"

Hagakure's invisible body had wrapped around Izuku's, her head buried in his neck.

"They're all gone!" Hagakure cried. "All of them! All our friends were taken! Midoriya, I was so scared!"

She sobbed and sniffed into Izuku's neck, and Izuku frowned hard, his face twisting into a grimace. He glanced up at Bakugou and Shouto with a helpless look. And there was nothing Shouto could do about it.

All of their friends were gone.

* * *

Shouto hobbled back down the steps of the hotel after inspecting each and every one of their friends' rooms. Not a single one had been disturbed, but they were all empty.

After Hagakure had calmed, she explained how the police stormed the building and fought against all of their friends. Iida led the counterattack, but without his exhausts, he wasn't as fast and was quickly outnumbered. It had gotten especially ugly when the police pulled out their quirk-canceling darts.

Hagakure had only managed to escape by removing all of her clothes and hiding in a cabinet.

Shouto sighed as he shut the door to the stairwell, taking a moment to lean his head against it. The cool wood was a brief relief to his warm forehead, but it did nothing to soothe the ache in his chest.

He glanced over to the tables and saw Bakugou and Hagakure—now fully clothed—sitting together solemnly and quietly. Bakugou had his arms folded tightly across his chest, his fingers digging into his biceps. He looked ready to explode while poor Hagakure sat frozen in her seat.

And, unsurprisingly, Izuku was nowhere to be found.

Shouto approached them gingerly, not wanting to surprise either one of them. He didn't need anyone else having a mental breakdown today.

"Where's Izuku?" Shouto asked. He had been concerned about Izuku ever since their conversation in the street. With everything that happened recently, this was the last thing Izuku needed.

Bakugou cut his eyes up at him, and for a moment Shouto thought he was going to snap at him. But Bakugou barely narrowed his eyes at him and nodded towards the exit door.

"A couple blocks east from here is a park," Bakugou said lowly. "I'm sure that's where he is."

He didn't say any more, and Shouto sighed softly. He would have to take his word for it. This Bakugou knew more about this Izuku than he would ever know.

He murmured a quiet thanks in response and shuffled up the stairs, letting the hatch doors shut behind him once he reached the surface. He took a deep breath and started heading east towards the supposed park that Bakugou had mentioned.

After passing a few run-down buildings, Shouto came across some green grass, something he had never noticed before in this worn out city. He stepped out into the green and walked along the overrun weeds and random flowers.

Amongst the few trees that were left, there was a familiar figure standing next to one, their gaze focused at the base of the tree.

Shouto approached slowly, letting his footsteps grow louder to signal Izuku of his approach. As he got closer, he could see that the ground at the base of the tree was sparse of grass, and a few stones were set up in a neat circle.

Shouto swallowed, his stomach suddenly clenching. He already had a sickening feeling of what this was.

"Two years ago," Izuku suddenly spoke, "Todoroki was captured by the police."

Shouto froze in surprise as Izuku spoke. Had he heard his footsteps? His back straightened as he focused his ears on the one-sided conversation.

"I came up with a rescue plan, and Kacchan helped me carry it out," Izuku said. "I researched the layout of the prison, and afterwards, we broke into the records room to find out exactly which room he was in."

Izuku paused to stuff his hands into his pockets, his shoulders drooping slightly.

"I found out where Todoroki was being held and snuck into the prison while Kacchan dealt with the guards on the outside." He stopped and huffed out a pathetic laugh. "I guess it was the one time my quirklessness paid off."

He laughed again, but the sound was bitter to Shouto's ears.

"Anyway… I found Todoroki in a testing room. They had needles and wires and all sorts of lab equipment inside. They had been doing experiments on him," Izuku said.

Shouto winced when Izuku's voice shook a little. He took a few steps closer until he was standing right next to Izuku.

"I stopped them before they could do another experiment, and even with some injuries, the three of us somehow managed to escape the facility."

Izuku stopped, his eyes narrowing.

"But then we were surrounded at the fence line. Todoroki was badly injured and couldn't climb up the fence by himself." He took in a shaky breath. "He told Kacchan to pick me up and carry me back to base, and then Todoroki stood his ground to stop the police from getting to us."

He swallowed and nodded down at the uneven dirt and the pile of stones.

"But he was outnumbered, and his quirk was weak and he had too many injuries and…"

A tear slipped down his cheek. He closed his eyes and allowed more to fall down his freckled face, his shoulders trembling.

"He did everything he could to protect me and I just… couldn't do anything," Izuku said. "I couldn't bear to tell the others. It was just too much to see my friend die right in front of me."

Shouto reached out his hand, hating to see his friend in such distress, but he stopped short of Izuku's shoulder, the boy lifting up an arm to wipe furiously at his face.

"They left his body lying in the street," Izuku said angrily. "I couldn't just let him stay there, so I gave him a proper burial."

Izuku's face changed as he stared at the grave by their feet, his eyes falling into a vicious glare.

"I hate them," Izuku said. "I hate that they have so much control over us. And I hate that they've taken so much from us."

He finally turned his head to look at Shouto, the cold look from his face gone and now replaced by pure justified rage.

"I want to get them back," Izuku said. "I want to go get our friends back."

Shouto's eyes widened in surprise, and his heart did a little flutter inside his chest. Izuku had the same look on his face just like when he made the plan to rescue Bakugou, or when the USJ was being attacked, or even when Endeavor's training had gone south and Shouto came back to the dorm limping.

This Izuku had a fire in his eyes for the first time Shouto had ever seen.

And he loved it.

"I want to help," Shouto said, straightening his back. "Do you have good plans on how to get them out?"

Izuku wiped the remaining tears from his face.

"Just one."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

* * *

_"So, what's the plan?"_

Shouto breathed out a soft breath and slowly poked his head around the corner of the alleyway, his eyes honing in on the police van parked on the side of the road. There were two police officers standing outside with guns drawn while the third sat in the driver's seat, looking at his communicator.

He leaned back against the wall and took out the cheap walkie-talkie that Izuku had given him earlier that day.

"All right. I'm in position," Shouto said.

The walkie-talkie crackled. "Good. Go ahead and move in. Kacchan and I will provide back up."

"On it," Shouto said, stuffing the thing back into his pocket. He took a deep breath and then left the alleyway, heading straight towards the police.

_"Our plan is to infiltrate the prison using disguises. We can get in and free our friends," Izuku explained, the other three sitting at the table watching him. _

_"Disguises?" Bakugou asked._

_"Yeah. We'll use police uniforms."_

_"You mean we should attack police officers?" Hagakure asked, her hands fidgeting in her lap._

_"We'll do what we have to," Izuku said._

_Shouto paused. "But doesn't the prison have devices that detect quirks?"_

A wispy breath of frost escaped Shouto's mouth as he stepped closer, ice summoning on his right side. He extended his right arm forward and launched a path of ice towards the van, freezing its tires to the ground. The two officers standing outside of the van scrambled to find the source.

"Hey, what the hell?!" one of the officers yelled.

"Over there! A quirk user!"

Shouto raised up an ice wall to stop the darts and bullets that fired from their weapons and then summoned his fire to hurl at them.

"We need backup!" an officer called to his comrade sitting in the van.

"Got it!" he called, and his hand reached towards the radio. He picked it up and was about to call. "This is squad 42 on the east side, we are—"

Suddenly, the front of the van exploded, cutting off the radio and destroying all power to the dashboard.

The officer glanced up from the steering wheel, a little bruised and disoriented, and glanced through the cracked windshield.

Red eyes stared back.

_"He's right," Bakugou said reluctantly, his arms folded across his chest. "They have scanners all over the place. If they detect that one of their police officers is actually a quirk user, then the plan goes to hell."_

_The room fell into another tense silence. _

_Shouto glanced around the room, feeling the hope dropping before his very eyes, when his gaze landed on the broken shackles on the floor. He blinked at them for a moment, and then he looked to Hagakure. _

_"We don't all need disguises," Shouto said softly, gaining the other three's attentions. _

_Bakugou's brow rose. "What are you talking about?"_

_Izuku also leaned forward, his face curious._

_"Izuku is quirkless, right? What if he's the police officer," Shouto paused to point to the shackles on the ground, "and I'll be his prisoner?"_

_Izuku looked slightly horrified. "Wait a minute! You can't possibly—"_

_"Are you suggesting you turn yourself in?!" Bakugou growled. _

_Shouto nodded. "Yes," he said. He glanced to Hagakure. "But only as a distraction."_

"Drop the radio, you bastard!" Bakugou yelled as he stood on the hood of the police van.

The officer gasped and reached for his gun, but Bakugou was quicker, reaching inside the broken windshield and grabbing him by the collar. He yanked him out and gave him a swift punch to the face before hurling him to the ground outside of the van.

Meanwhile, Shouto had the other two officers frozen to the ground, their rifles scattered about. The officers were tugging at their frozen legs, trying to break free of the ice.

"Damn it! You quirk using bastards will pay!" one officer spat, reaching for the small handgun on his side.

Shouto warmed up his left side, ready to strike, but before he could summon his fire, Izuku sprinted onto the scene and leapt into the air, his knee contacting the officer's jaw. The officer grunted and then slumped over, passed out cold with his feet still stuck to the pavement. Izuku quickly did the same maneuver to the other officer, causing him to slump to the ground.

Shouto cooled down his left side and approached Izuku, who was kneeling down next to an officer, already taking off his helmet.

"It's a good thing these officers have full helmets that cover the face," Shouto mentioned as Izuku inspected the helmet.

"It should definitely work," Izuku responded.

"Oi, idiots," Bakugou said, traipsing back over to their sides. He lifted up two cuffs, the quirk-canceling vials already smashed on the inside panels. "I have the shackles. Can we go now?"

Izuku glanced up at Shouto and gave a single head nod.

"Let's do this."

_"Izuku should pose as the officer taking me to prison," Shouto said. "I'll be the one you take in. I'm the distraction."_

_"Uh-uh, no way!" Bakugou growled, slapping his hands on the table. "You're not getting off this easily!"_

_"What are you talking about, Kacchan?" Izuku asked. _

_"No way is this Clone gonna go in and get all the action! I'm going, too!" Bakugou yelled._

_Izuku blinked at him. "You want to go back?"_

_"Of course not! But you idiots need me!" Bakugou said. "I'm the only one who knows the layout of the prison. I was the one there for months, anyway."_

_Shouto folded his arms across his chest. "He has a point."_

_Izuku looked uneasy. "I don't know…"_

_"You don't get a say," Bakugou said, sitting back in his seat. "I'm one of your stupid prisoners, too. You can't tell me no."_

_Izuku and Shouto exchanged a glance, Izuku nodding silently. "Fine. You'll both be prisoners."_

_"What about me?" Hagakure asked, pointing to herself._

_Shouto glanced to Izuku and Bakugou. "You said there are alarms in the prison, right?"_

_Izuku nodded. "Yes, but why does…" He stopped, blinking rapidly as clarity shined in his eyes. "You want Hagakure to disable the alarms."_

_Shouto nodded._

_"W-What? You really think I can do that?" Hagakure asked. _

_"You're the most capable," Izuku said, folding his arms across his chest. "If you could get into the control room and take out the alarms, then we should be able to get everyone out without the prison guards noticing."_

Izuku clasped the shackles over Shouto's wrists and secured them tightly. Shouto winced a bit when the small, empty needles pierced his skin, and Izuku gave him a sympathetic frown.

"Sorry. But they have to look like they're working," Izuku said.

Shouto nodded. "I know. This is nothing."

"Tch. Try having to wear these shitty things for nine months," Bakugou spat. "Pain in the ass…"

"Can we focus here?" Izuku said, kneeling down to the remaining pieces of the police uniform. "We've got to get going."

Shouto watched as Izuku put on the helmet, the entire thing covering his head and masking his identity in an instant. He grabbed the officer's security badge and shoved it in his breast pocket and then picked up the weapons that rested on the ground.

"Okay, we've got all we need here," Izuku said. He turned his head off to the side. "Hagakure, are you ready?"

"Yes," came Hagakure's voice, startling Shouto a bit. He hadn't realized she was standing right next to him. She was completely invisible from head to toe, not a single article of clothing.

"Good," Izuku said. He turned to Shouto and Bakugou. "You guys remember the plan once we're inside?"

_"What about the cells?" Bakugou asked._

_"The cells?" Hagakure asked. _

_"Yeah. They can only be opened by a keycard or something. Normally it was a higher officer," Bakugou said. "And there are officers patrolling the halls at all times."_

_"With me disguised as an officer, I should be able to convince the others to leave the hallway," Izuku said. He rubbed his chin. "And I should be able to snag a keycard somehow..."_

_"I might be able to grab one for you," Hagakure said. _

_Izuku nodded. "That'll be your first mission, then."_

_Hagakure nodded. "Right."_

_"And while we're waiting for Hagakure to disable the alarms, we'll help everyone else get their shackles off," Shouto said. "The officers should have keys to unlock them." _

_"They do. They always carry 'em, the bastards," Bakugou growled, folding his arms across his chest. _

_"But…" Hagakure started. "The prisoners… They will still have the quirk-canceling serum in their system, though, won't they?" Hagakure asked nervously. _

_"Yes, but we'll make sure Bakugou and I have clean shackles," Shouto said._

_Izuku folded his arms across his chest loosely. "If we can get Hagakure to disable the alarms, get in, and open the cells, then…"_

_He paused, putting a hand to his chin, mumbling to himself as he worked out the plan in his mind. Once he seemed to come to a conclusion, he stopped, his face opening up in realization._

_"This… could really work," Izuku said breathlessly._

_Shouto stood up from the table and placed a hand on Izuku's shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze. Izuku glanced up at him with shimmering eyes, the green swirling with that same fire he witnessed earlier. It was perfect._

_"We're going to get them back," Shouto said. _

_Izuku barely hesitated. _

_"I know."_

"Yes, we got it," Bakugou said, rolling his eyes. "Can we just get on with it? The sooner we go, the sooner we can get those idiots back."

"Right," Izuku said. He glanced to Shouto, the flame still burning. It made Shouto's chest burn just as brightly. "You ready?"

Shouto pulled his shackled wrists closer to his body.

"Let's do it."

* * *

Izuku made a show of drawing his weapon and aiming it at Todoroki's and Kacchan's backs as they walked towards the prison entrance.

He could feel his heart rattling inside his chest and his fingers shook slightly, but he kept his thoughts on the faces of his friends. Of Uraraka and Iida, and Tsuyu and Kirishima, and the several others that had been snatched out of their home. Of their bright faces smiling back at him. Of their faces coated with salty tears.

It was all too painful to think about. Izuku's chest was burning with hatred and anger.

"Once the alarms are disabled and I have the master keycard, I'll free you guys, and then you can search the cells for the others," Izuku whispered through his helmet.

"Right," Bakugou said. "Just don't let us rot in there, Deku."

Izuku's brows upturned sadly. "I won't. Never again, Kacchan."

Kacchan only gave him a sideways glance before facing forward, not uttering another word. Todoroki was as stoic as ever, walking straight-backed towards the prison with his face set as stone.

Izuku felt a tug on his sleeve, and he peered out of the corner of his eye. The invisible space next to him was breathing softly, but he could hear the rattling from each breath.

"Once we get inside, it'll be easier, Hagakure," Izuku whispered.

He heard a soft sigh and a quiet hum from her direction in response. Her trembling calmed but his shirtsleeve stayed pinched in between her fingers.

They approached the entrance and entered when Izuku flashed the stolen badge to the security guard, his rifle on his hip. When they reached the front gate, the guards ordered them to wait as they fired up the scanners.

"Scanners?" Hagakure whispered.

"For quirks," Kacchan said.

Hagakure let out a small, panicked gasp. "W-Will they detect mine?"

Izuku swallowed and remained quiet, the thought bouncing around in his head. He didn't have an answer for her.

The guard motioned for them to move forward through the scanner that surrounded the border of the massive doorway.

Izuku swallowed and nudged Todoroki forward, making Kacchan walk, as well. Hagakure was tugged along as Izuku took a step. The four of them walked through the scanner, Izuku holding his breath.

"Wait a minute," the guard at the desk spoke. "It's detecting three quirks."

Izuku could feel his heart smacking against his ribs. It was beginning to make him feel nauseous.

"This thing's detected multiple quirks before, though," another guard said, leaning against the wall.

The guard at the computer screens eyed the group carefully, his eyes narrowing at them. He tapped a few buttons on the screen in front of him.

"Have 'em walk through the scanners again," he said.

Izuku felt a bead of sweat glide down his neck. If they were caught now, then they would all be trapped in this prison—Izuku included. There would be no way to help their friends out of his hellish nightmare.

Before Izuku could panic, however, he felt Hagakure's grip on his sleeve leave him. He inhaled sharply, eyes darting back and forth in search of any form of movement. But he saw none.

"C'mon, we haven't got all day!" another armed guard said.

"A-Ah, right!" Izuku said, barely managing to keep his voice calm.

He pulled Kacchan and Todoroki backwards by their shirts, making it a bit rough to look realistic, and then they stood on the other side of the scanners.

"Deku…" Kacchan murmured.

Izuku tightened his grip on Kacchan's shirt, hoping the signal would come across, and then he shoved him forward, making the blonde growl. Todoroki stumbled along with him when Izuku pushed him, but quickly righted himself and continued walking.

They all held their breath as they passed through the scanners again, Izuku's eyes locked onto the guard at the computer. The man stared at the screen and, after a moment, nodded.

"All right. Just two," he said. "Must've been some dust in the air or something."

Izuku's shoulders sagged as he released a quiet breath. He closed his eyes for a moment and _prayed_ that Hagakure was nearby. She wasn't someone who would run away and abandon her friends, but he would understand if she was scared enough to flee.

"Proceed forward," the guard said.

Izuku nodded once and pushed them again, guiding them towards another open room. He felt another pinch at his sleeve, and he almost jumped, but he realized it was at the same place as before.

He let out another sigh.

Hagakure. She must've run in front of the scanners before they were asked to walk through again.

Izuku closed his eyes, silently thanking her for sticking to the plan.

When they walked into what looked like a holding room, a guard approached them with a tablet in his hand.

"Have they been imprisoned before?" a guard asked Izuku.

Izuku nearly bit his tongue as he scrambled for an answer. "I'm not sure," were his words.

The guard looked confused. "You didn't test to see if their identities were on record?"

Izuku swallowed. "They ambushed my squad and knocked them out. I didn't have time or the extra hands."

The guard nodded. "Good work bringing them in by yourself. We'll do a test here."

From his tablet, the guard pulled out a small needle and walked towards Kacchan. With the gentleness of an angry wasp, the guard jabbed the needle into Kacchan's bicep. He winced, his arms going taut and his hands tightening into fists. He looked ready to swing and Izuku was surprised he controlled himself.

"Ah. Bakugou Katsuki," the guard said. He looked at him with a smug smile. "Welcome back."

"Tch," Kacchan scoffed, turning his head. Izuku could practically see the rage in his eyes.

The guard yanked out the needle and then went on to do the same to Todoroki. He barely flinched as the needle entered his skin, but the wince on his face was apparent.

"What the…" the guard said, reading the tablet. He glanced up at Todoroki with wide eyes. "This can't be right."

Izuku leaned to the side to catch a glimpse of the tablet, and his heart nearly stopped in his chest.

On the screen was a picture of Todoroki. _His_ Todoroki.

And underneath his picture was one word.

_Deceased._

"What's going on?" Another guard approached them and looked at the screen. "What the hell? This prick is still alive? Impossible."

"I know. Something isn't right. This has to be false," the first guard responded.

"Right. Hold on, let me ask."

The second guard walked away and pulled out a communicator. Izuku tried to listen to his words but he was too far away. Kacchan started to fidget, his hands still curled in fists.

"Stand still, quirk user," the guard said in a low voice.

"Why don't you come here and say that?" Kacchan said under his breath.

"What was that?"

Izuku nudged Kacchan with the end of his gun. "Quiet."

"Tch," Kacchan scoffed, and he stood still.

They waited for a few more painstaking moments before the other guard returned, muttering out a soft, "Yes, my lord," into the communicator before hanging up. He glanced at Todoroki.

"Take this one to Interrogation Room 2," the guard commanded.

"Yes, sir."

Izuku's heart leapt into his throat, eyes wide as he watched the guard grab Todoroki by the collar and yank him to the side. He took an unconscious step forward, his hand about to reach out towards him.

"A-Ah, wait—"

Todoroki shot him a look, his head shaking once, slightly.

Izuku stopped.

There was something about the look in Todoroki's eyes that made him freeze in his tracks. It wasn't threatening, but more of encouraging.

_Keep going_, Todoroki's eyes told him.

Izuku couldn't do anything but watch helplessly as Todoroki was dragged towards the nearby elevator. Another guard joined him and restrained him, taking out a needle.

"Just to be on the safe side," the guard muttered, and he shoved the needle into Todoroki's neck. He grunted in pain and almost fell to his knees, but the guards kept him on his feet. Within seconds, Todoroki's head rolled forward and he was out.

"Todoroki," Izuku whispered.

"Deku, I swear…" Kacchan mumbled, snapping Izuku out of his worry.

The elevator doors opened and the guards hauled a limp Todoroki on, and the doors shut behind them.

Izuku's mind was racing, rethinking the plan over and over in his mind. Could they still proceed? Could they still get everyone out?

"Okay, you can take this one to cell block 5 through here," the other guard said. "There will be a guard waiting for you there."

Izuku jumped, his mind going blank. He turned around and grabbed Kacchan, taking him through the double doors on the other side of the room. There were guards scattered throughout the halls, but Izuku pushed Kacchan on until they reached a hall where no one was around. He leaned against the wall and sighed, his heart thumping away.

"Hagakure, you with me?" Izuku said in a small voice.

He felt a squeeze on his arm. "Yes."

Izuku nodded once, his neck slick with sweat.

"What the hell do we do now?" Kacchan asked.

Izuku took a deep breath, glancing down the halls. He still felt Hagakure on his arm and he glanced in her direction.

"We keep going," Izuku said.

"Huh?! Without the Clone?" Kacchan asked.

Izuku nodded. "We're going to have to." He glanced to Hagakure and gently placed his hand over hers. "You remember where I said the control room was, right?"

Hagakure hummed. "Yes. 8th floor."

"Good," Izuku said with a nod. "There might be a master keycard in there, too."

"Got it," Hagakure said.

"Be careful."

"I will."

And with those parting words, the weight on his arm left him, and Hagakure was gone.

Izuku took a minute to catch his breath. He turned to Kacchan and pulled out the keys to the shackles, placing them in Kacchan's pocket.

"If you see any of our friends, go ahead and start freeing them," Izuku said. "But don't use your quirk, no matter how tempting it might be."

Kacchan gave an agitated nod. Izuku could tell he was ready to burst with anger. He was showing a lot of restraint for once.

"All right. Let's get you to the cell before they get suspicious."

They continued their walk down the hallway towards cellblock 5, right on the first floor. They passed by several cells full of people, all of them wearing uncomfortable shackles on their wrists. Some of them even looked infected, the skin around them red and swollen.

It made Izuku feel sick to his stomach.

After they turned the corner, they came upon the correct cell. A prison guard was standing in front of the cell, rifle in hand.

"Ah, there you are. Thought I needed to send out a search party," the guard joked.

Izuku chuckled nervously and Kacchan sighed and rolled his eyes. The prison guard turned towards the wall and took out a flat keycard, swiping it along the pad on the wall. The bar door unlocked and the guard moved to open it.

Ah, Izuku thought. So he has a keycard. But he wasn't sure if it was a master key. Lower level prison guards wouldn't usually hold that much power. Only a warden could, or the head of security.

Which would be in the control room.

"Bakugou?!"

Both Izuku and Kacchan turned towards the cell, eyes widening in surprise when they saw Kirishima inside, eyes full of tears.

"Kirishima…" Kacchan whispered.

"Ah, looks like you have a familiar face to rot with," the guard said, grabbing Kacchan by the shoulder and shoving him through the doorway, Kacchan barely able to keep himself upright. Kirishima caught him, though, and Kacchan growled at the guard.

The guard closed up the door and swiped the card again, locking the doors tightly.

"There we go. Thank you for the deposit," the guard said to Izuku. "You can be on your way."

Izuku's breath hitched as the guard started to walk away. "Uh, well, I mean, I c-could guard this hallway for you, if you want!"

The guard turned back towards him and barked out a laugh. "Funny. You and me both would get in so much trouble if a police officer was caught doing a prison guard's job."

Izuku's eyes widened, his gaze briefly glancing down to his uniform and then giving the guard a once-over.

Damn, Izuku thought. The uniforms were too different!

"See ya around," the guard said, walking back down the hall to his post.

Izuku stood still, his eyes flitting back and forth from the cell to down the hall where more guards stood.

He swallowed thickly.

What… What now?

* * *

She always won hide and seek.

When she was little, Hagakure and her friends would sometimes play hide and seek after kindergarten. It was always an easy victory for Hagakure, for all she had to do was undress and stay absolutely silent.

There was one time that she decided to be bold. She undressed and followed the seeker around the playground, daring for him to abruptly stop and spin around so he could bump into her. But he never did. And when he did stop suddenly, Hagakure would stop, as well, learning to control her breaths so they could be as quiet as possible.

After multiple complaints, the kindergarten teacher banned hide and seek on the playground.

But now…

Hagakure was thankful for that early training.

Hagakure's footsteps were light as she tiptoed out of the elevator on the 8th floor. She sighed softly, a hand coming to her chest as guards emptied the elevator with her. She practically held her breath the entire ride.

Once the guards were gone, she took a deep breath and relaxed, thankful she wasn't caught. Now, all she had to do was get to the control room.

The control room was near the center of the 8th floor, she remembered Midoriya telling her.

So she started walking. Her steps were quiet and carefully calculated. She avoided every guard by plastering herself up against the opposite wall.

This is just like hide and seek, Hagakure told herself as she turned the corner. No difference.

She finally came upon the control room, the door cracked open slightly. With another slow, quiet breath, she pushed the door open, ready to tackle the alarm system.

When she saw what was on the other side of the door, she froze.

The room had three guards inside.

And one of them was the head of security, his master keycard hanging on his hip.

If she was careful enough, she could simply walk over and grab it from his hip without him noticing. It would be easy, simple. All she would have to do is sneak over.

It was just like hide and seek.

Just like hide and seek.

Except, if these seekers ran into her…

She would be killed.

* * *

"Hey, you bastard! Wake up!"

A swift punch to Shouto's jaw woke him up in an instant. He tried to run or to attack whatever was hitting him, but his body couldn't move.

He glanced around and found that his body was tied to a chair, his arms in shackles behind his back. And these weren't the shackles he arrived in.

Damn it, Shouto thought as he tried to summon his ice. It was just as he thought.

He was rendered quirkless.

"So you're finally awake."

Shouto glanced up at his attacker, jaw throbbing, and glared. His vision was a little blurred from the drugs and the punch, but he could make out two bodies standing in front of him. They were definitely wearing some type of prison guard uniform, but they looked to be a little less heavy-duty.

"We've been trying to wake you up for the last five minutes!" one guard spat. "Now then, explain who the hell you are. Now!"

The man threw another punch at Shouto's face, causing his head to whip to the side. He grunted a little at the throbbing in his mouth and he spit blood on the floor, turning back to look at the guards.

"He must be a spy," the guard said when Shouto said nothing. "Just look at him! This whole thing is suspicious!"

"We need to get the information out of him before Mr. Mori gets here," the other guard said. "If we can identify who he really is, then we'll be one step ahead for when he arrives."

Mr. Mori? Shouto thought. He wracked his brain, wondering where he had heard that name before.

"All right, start talking."

Another punch, this time to his gut. He doubled over and coughed, gagging.

"Why don't you tell us who you really are?" the guard asked.

Shouto continued to cough, ignoring his question. He knew from growing up that keeping quiet was sometimes the better option.

The other guard grabbed something from the nearby table. It was a long, thin piece of metal that ended in a sharp point. He got behind Shouto's chair and grabbed one of his fingers, shoving the metal underneath his fingernail.

Shouto breathed out slowly at the pain as his nail began to separate from his skin.

Ah, Shouto thought. They're not guards.

They were experts in torture.

"Now then. Tell us your true identity," the guard said from behind.

Shouto swallowed, the taste of iron on his tongue. If he were to tell them who he really was, then it was possible that their plan could be ruined. He couldn't risk Izuku and the others getting caught.

So he clamped his mouth shut and bit the insides of his cheek, his eyes squeezing shut when the nail finally did break from his finger.

"Won't even talk for this?" the guard said.

"Seems like this isn't enough," the other spoke. He turned to the table next to him and grabbed a knife, observing it carefully. "This could do."

Shouto stayed as still as possible, even when the man took the top half of his hero costume and used the knife to slice it open, leaving his torso exposed. He grit his teeth when the tip of the blade touched his collarbone and started to drag across his skin.

Think back to your training, Shouto told himself as he closed his eyes. Think back to all the times Endeavor made you endure the pain.

Flames, cuts, bruises, scars…

While it was cruel and incredibly abusive, it still prepared him for moments like this. Moments where he would have to endure pain.

The blade left his skin, making Shouto's lip twitch. He opened his eyes to stare up at the guards, feeling the rivulets of blood trickling down his chest.

"Ah, he's tough," the guard said, peering at the blood on the blade.

The other guard grabbed Shouto by his tattered collar, yanking him to the side. The restraints tugged on his body and made him wince, but he still glared up at the man.

"Looks like we'll have to do this the hard way!" the guard yelled as he reared back his fist.

Shouto shut his eyes and clenched his teeth, bracing for impact. He just had to endure this until his friends could get out safely. Then he could come up with a plan for his own escape.

Before the blow could come, however, the door slid open.

"Ah, I see you've already started."

Shouto opened his eyes and glanced towards the door.

A man had walked in that Shouto didn't recognize. He looked normal enough—black hair, nice suit. He would even consider his smile friendly if it weren't for the strange twitch in his brow.

"Ah, Mr. President!" one of the guards exclaimed.

Shouto felt his heart leap.

Mr. President?

This man… President Mori…

He's behind all of this?


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

* * *

"President Mori!"

The man standing in front of him had a gentle smile, but Shouto knew better. He's seen that smile before on multiple villains. And even on his father. This wasn't the smile of a benevolent leader.

This was the smile of a knowing dictator.

"Well, this is quite a surprise," Mori said, stepping forward to peer down at Shouto. "A Todoroki child is back within my borders. One that's supposed to be dead."

Shouto narrowed his eyes at him but said nothing. He couldn't give anything away. He knew nothing about this man and how it would affect Izuku and the others.

Mori grabbed a chair and sat down in front of Shouto, crossing his legs elegantly. He cut his dark eyes up at Shouto, making Shouto's skin prickle uneasily.

"So… You were much easier to capture this time. Why is that?" Mori asked, tapping his chin. "It seems that you just… gave up."

Mori glanced over Shouto's body, sending chills down his spine. If only Shouto had control of his quirk. This guy would be sorry he ever messed with him.

"Besides what these two did to you, you don't have a scratch on you," Mori said. "Are you that eager to die again?"

Shouto took a deep breath but never took his eyes from Mori's face.

"Well, is this a new quirk? Are you masking your identity? Using Todoroki Shouto's body as a cover?" Mori asked. Shouto stayed silent, and Mori sighed, long and heavy. "Not going to say a word, huh?"

Shouto watched as Mori turned to look at one of the guards standing in the room.

"Do it," he said to them, his smile fading just slightly.

Before Shouto could even react, one of the guards grabbed him by the hair and yanked his head to the side, exposing the column of his neck. Something sharp was jabbed into his neck, making him choke.

"Ack!" Shouto gasped.

"Ah, so you _do_ have a voice," Mori said with a tease on his lips.

The guard attached a wire to the device in his neck and then attached that wire to a nearby machine. He flipped a few switches, the machine whirring to life, and then he turned back to look at Mori, giving him a brief nod. Mori nodded back and waved his hand. The guard then turned on the machine.

Shouto's body immediately tensed up, his eyes nearly rolling into the back of his head as he gasped for breath. All of his muscles coiled, and suddenly, Shouto felt both sides of his body release, ice forming on the right side and flames scorching on his left.

What is this?! Shouto thought, his nerves screaming as he was unable to control his quirk.

Mori smirked at the display, his hand reaching up to rub his chin.

After another agonizing moment of his body convulsing with energy coursing through his nervous system, Mori lifted his hand and the guard shut off the machine.

The pain that was once in Shouto's limbs immediately left him, and he hunched forward and heaved in several pained breaths. Both sides of his body ached, his right side shivering and his left side burning.

When he finally caught his breath, Shouto lifted his head to send a confused glare at Mori, who only smiled in response.

"So you're not an imposter," Mori said. "You still possess the same quirks that Todoroki Shouto has."

Shouto grit his teeth as ice fell from his cheek. "What… What the hell did you do to me?"

"Oh, so you're asking questions now?" Mori asked. He pointed to the machine. "I have several incredible scientists that are experts with quirk genetics. They simply forced your quirk to work. They've done it numerous times on others to test their abilities."

Shouto narrowed his eyes. "So you're doing experiments on people?"

"Oh, my. You make it sound like I'm doing something so terrible."

Shouto glared and shut his mouth. What in the world was this man hoping to accomplish? And why was he talking to just him? Why didn't he take Bakugou aside?

"Now then. Enough small talk," Mori said. His smile faded slightly and his brows lowered over his eyes. "I can only guess the reasoning of how you are here but I won't know unless you tell me. So explain to me who you are. Now."

The guards shifted closer to Shouto at his words, their arms folding across their chest. Shouto eyed their movements carefully and then glanced back to Mori. He set his jaw and frowned, his eyes locking onto Mori.

Mori's lip twitched at his act of rebellion.

"Suppose we'll do this the hard way," Mori said. He glanced up at one of the guards. "Do what you need to do."

The guards both bowed their heads to Mori and then walked off to the nearby table, their hands inspecting the array of tools. They each came back with a weapon in hand—one holding a sharp instrument while the other carried an electric rod, the metal ends crackling to life.

Shouto took a deep breath and clenched his teeth. His hands curled into fists behind his back.

He could only pray that Izuku and the others were faring better than he was.

* * *

His plan was crumbling right before his eyes.

Izuku stared after the prison guard's back as he walked down the hall after shoving a furious Kacchan into the cell with a teary-eyed Kirishima.

He wasn't allowed to patrol the prison. Not with the police uniform he was wearing.

What was he going to do now? He had to clear out the hallways to secure his friends' escape.

How was he going to clear the halls in a police uniform?

"Well, what now, Deku?" Kacchan hissed quietly from the cell, finally on his feet.

"_Deku?_ You mean… Midoriya, is that you?" Kirishima said, his voice rising.

Kacchan immediately whapped him on the back of the head with both hands. "Zip it, moron!"

Kirishima yelped and hunched over, unable to rub the sore spot because of the shackles. Kacchan sighed and tugged out the keys Izuku had given him.

"K-Kacchan, what are you doing?" Izuku sputtered, glancing around the hallway. It was empty now but guards would soon come to patrol.

"Would you relax? I'm going to break his shackles so the serum stops going into his system," Kacchan said, quickly removing the shackles from Kirishima's wrists. He fiddled with them for a minute, and the sounds of glass breaking echoed softly against the metal walls. "There. Done."

Kacchan slapped the shackles back on Kirishima's wrists and then pocketed the keys, sending a glare to Izuku.

"The serum should wear off eventually. But you need to find a way to get these damn guards away," Kacchan said.

Izuku swallowed and then glanced around, watching as a prison guard turned down the corner. His breath hitched and he turned his back towards him, eyeing Kacchan and Kirishima out of the corner of his eye.

"I'll figure something out," Izuku said. "Just hang tight until I can come up with another plan."

"I swear, Deku, if you leave us in here—"

"I won't," Izuku said, his hands squeezing into fists by his sides. "I promise."

"Hey, you."

Izuku jolted when he heard an unfamiliar voice call out to him. He turned his head to see the prison guard walking towards him. He looked younger than the guard he spoke to before.

"What're you doing in here? Did you drop off a prisoner?" the guard asked.

Izuku straightened his back and nodded towards the cell. "Yes, sir. Dropped one off here."

"I see. Well, you should get a move on, then," the guard said. "We can take care of things here."

Izuku glanced out of the corner of his eye towards the cell, watching Kirishima and Kacchan as they stared back at him with concern in their eyes and sweat on their necks.

He needed to stall. At least until he could come up with a plan of action.

Izuku refused to leave that prison without his friends by his side.

"A-Ah, actually!" Izuku squeaked, grabbing the guard's attention.

The guard quirked a brow, his hand clutching the handle of his rifle. Kacchan and Kirishima were frozen in place, waiting with their air trapped inside their lungs on Izuku's next words.

"I-I need to use the bathroom!" Izuku squeaked.

The guard's brows rose to his helmet, and out of the corner of his eye, Izuku could see Kacchan smacking his palm to his forehead and muttering a soft, "Dumbass." Izuku held his ground on his decision, though, hoping that the guard wouldn't catch on.

"Is it that urgent?" the guard asked dully. "I've got a job to do."

"S-Sorry, but I can't hold it! I r-really need to go now!" Izuku said.

The guard sighed and shook his head softly. He started to walk past Izuku.

"Fine. This way," he mumbled.

Izuku's heart was slamming against his chest as he stiffly turned around to follow the guard. He waved off Kacchan, giving him a signal of "wait." Izuku could only hope he understood what he meant.

Now, Izuku had a bigger problem. He needed to come up with a plan to somehow get the guards to leave their post. But how? How could he convince them? Especially since he was in this police uniform?

"Here. Use it and go so I can get back to work," the guard said, nodding towards the restroom door.

"A-Ah, thank you," Izuku said, stepping inside.

He took off the suffocating helmet and set it on the sink counter, letting his face breathe, and then glanced around the bathroom, sighing in relief when he found that he was alone. He had to find a way to get away from this guard. Perhaps there was a vent?

Izuku searched up and down the restroom, even peeking behind each toilet to see if there was a crawlspace. But every vent was tightly screwed in place, and there were no windows or access to the ceiling.

Damn it, Izuku thought, starting to panic. He was running out of time. And who knew where in the world Todoroki had been dragged off to.

He closed his eyes and placed his hand to his chin, mumbling out ideas and possibilities. Maybe he could get a tour of the building? Or find a way to contact Hagakure? Or maybe he could go back and find those police uniforms and—

"Oi, what's taking so long?"

Izuku squeaked and stumbled, reaching for the helmet that he left on the counter. His shaking hands knocked it off and it bounced on the tiled floor.

"Ah, j-j-just a minute!" Izuku called.

"What was that noise?" the guard asked.

"It w-w-was nothing!" Izuku pleaded, picking up the helmet.

Suddenly, the bathroom door opened and the guard walked inside. Izuku felt his heart fall into his stomach.

"What's going—Wait a minute! Who the hell are you?!" the guard yelled.

Izuku swallowed, his thoughts racing.

He couldn't get caught now. He refused to get caught. All of his friends were depending on him!

Izuku took the helmet in his hand and flung it forward at the guard, the guard ducking his head. While he was distracted, Izuku rushed forward and leapt up into the air, kicking his gun from his grasp. The rifle slid on the floor and tapped against the far wall.

Then, Izuku whirled around and grabbed the guard by the back of the head, shoving his face down and into the wall. Blood immediately spattered from the guy's nose and he fell unconscious at Izuku's feet.

Izuku panted, staring down at the limp body on the floor. He heaved in a big breath and sighed, looking down at his body.

He hoped they were at least the same shoe size.

* * *

Hagakure swallowed thickly, her eyes darting around the room for any clue on how to get out of this mess.

Two of the guards were currently standing in front of the controls, staring up at the cameras. The head of security stood behind them, hands folded across his chest. Hagakure could see his keycard still hanging on his hip.

Okay, Toru… Hagakure told herself. Just have to get that key and…

She glanced to the control panel.

…And turn off the alarms.

She slowly tiptoed to the guards standing at the controls, their eyes occasionally going up to look at the cameras. She glanced over their shoulders as they spoke to one another, scanning the panel for any sort of button or switch that activated the alarm system. There were a few switches and buttons here and there, but she couldn't quite decipher them from such a distance.

She had to get closer.

She held her breath and toed a bit closer, leaning over the panel. She was able to see the labels better beneath each button.

Okay, she thought. Just have to find the right one…

"Hey, did you see the guys that the officer brought in?"

Hagakure nearly squeaked when she felt something brush her back. She covered her mouth with her hands and stilled, her head slowly turning to gaze over her shoulder.

The head of security was standing right behind her.

"Yes, I did," the head of security said, folding his arms across his chest. His arms lightly brushed Hagakure's hair, sending tingles down her spine.

"Didn't you kill that kid?" the other guard asked his boss.

The head of security huffed, blowing Hagakure's hair. She remained as still as possible, barely even breathing through her nose. Her knees started to knock together as her body trembled.

"I did," the head of security said, a pinch of agitation in his voice. He sighed and turned to the side, his arm shooting out to lean against the panel. Hagakure nearly screamed with how close he was. "I don't understand it."

"Maybe you didn't actually kill him?" one guard asked him.

Hagakure turned her head to the side, eyeing the head of security. She could practically count the stubble on his chin. Her eyes travelled down his chest and landed on his belt, the keycard right in front of her eyes.

She swallowed, her eyes cutting back up to the man as he spoke.

"I shot him in the head," the head of security said, his eyes glaring up at the screens. "There's no way he survived that."

"A new quirk we don't know about?" a guard asked.

"Maybe," the head of security said.

Hagakure reached out her hand, her fingers grazing the keycard. Her other hand fiddled with the metal clasp, her whole arm shaking with effort. She finally got it out of the clasp, and she smiled despite the situation.

"But I need to know what's going _on,"_ the head of security said.

He raised a fist and slammed it down on the panel in frustration, making Hagakure flinch and stumble backwards into a chair. The chair clattered to the ground and Hagakure dropped the keycard, the card sliding underneath the fallen chair.

"Whoa, Boss!" a guard exclaimed.

"Are you really that angry?" the other asked.

"Of _course_, I'm angry!" the head of security yelled. "They bring in this guy that we killed so long ago and now he's back in our prison? And no one decided to tell me?"

Hagakure kept her hands over her mouth, her legs still shaking. She was shocked that none of the guards found the collapsed chair suspicious.

"That's it. I'm going to find the president!" the head of security said, turning towards the door.

"What?! He's _here?"_ a guard asked, following after him.

"He _has_ to be!" the head of security said, opening the cracked door wide. "He's the one obsessed with the Todoroki family, so he _has_ to be involved!"

The head of security stomped out of the room, and the two guards followed after him.

Hagakure finally released a breath, her hands falling from her mouth as she took in big gulps of air. That was _way_ too close.

Once she calmed herself down, she turned back to the panel and scanned over the labels, looking for something resembling an alarm system. When she finally found the switches, she sighed in relief, and quickly turned off all of the alarms on every level of the prison where the cells were located.

Hagakure then hurried over to the fallen chair and grabbed the keycard, hoping and praying that this would open every cell door that they would need. And if possible, maybe even find Ojiro…

She stood up and rushed to the door, looking down at the keycard in her hands. She noticed the man's picture on the front and then paused, her mind going back to their earlier conversation.

"Wait…" she mumbled to herself. "Why would the president be obsessed with Todoroki?"

* * *

Shouto hissed and held his breath painfully inside of his lungs until they felt as if they would explode as the guard pressed the electric rod to his chest for the nth time. He nearly bit his tongue as all of his muscles seized up, forcing him to clamp down his jaw.

His body was bruised and cut after several punches and slashes to his chest and abdomen, and he was sure his face was mottled blue, too. It was a struggle to breathe properly. He assumed he had a broken rib or two.

He was close to breaking, just spilling that he was from another universe, but he couldn't risk any of the lives that still had a job to do inside the prison.

After Bakugou was ceremoniously kidnapped their first year—which Shouto still shares some guilt about—Aizawa decided to have to a talk with everyone about the protocol for when captures take place.

The class discovered just how lucky Bakugou had been. With him being able to walk—no, _blast_—his way out of the villain's complex without so much as a scratch on him was a feat in itself. Most heroes who are captured by highly intelligent villains don't end up unscathed.

Shouto thought Mineta was going to pass out from the pictures of the aftermath of torture that Aizawa brought in that day. Most of the girls looked blue in the face and Izuku wore a grim expression as his hands curled into fists.

_"Use your best judgment,"_ Aizawa had told them that day._ "If the information they want doesn't risk lives, then give it to them."_

Shouto will never forget the look on Aizawa's face as he said his next words.

_"But if they want something that will destroy lives,"_ Aizawa had said, _"then hold out until someone can get to you."_

The guard finally pulled the electric rod away from Shouto's chest, leaving his chest heaving and his muscles twitching. He could feel the skin on his chest stinging with a painful electrical burn, and his heartbeat was trying to right itself. He glanced up at Mori with a jittery glare, taking in his appearance.

Mori was no longer smiling, but calmly observing. Shouto had seen that look, too.

On his father's face, it meant the beginning of frustration.

This could be good or bad, Shouto thought as he gasped for air. If Mori was getting agitated, it meant he was winning this battle. But it could also mean that Mori would increase the torture methods.

_"Stall for as long as possible,"_ Aizawa's voice rang in his mind. _"Endure what you can. And if the secret is too risky to share…"_

Mori stood to his feet and walked over to the table, eyeing the tools on the table. He picked up a particularly long knife, sharp enough to cut stacks of paper like butter.

_"Then you may be facing death."_

Mori walked back over to Shouto's side, his lips slightly curled on the edges, and rested the tip of the blade to Shouto's scarred left cheek. He winced when Mori pressed down, slightly nicking the skin.

"Another fascinating thing about you, or this strange version of you, is that you have this scar," Mori said. "Sure, you could've earned this scar after somehow being resurrected, but the dead skin shows evidence of you receiving it several years ago."

Shouto blinked up at him. Stay strong, he told himself. Don't let him break you.

"Was it a scuffle? Damage by your own quirk?" Mori asked. He tucked the blade underneath Shouto's chin and forced his neck up, the length of the blade kissing Shouto's pale skin. "Or perhaps… damage from someone else's quirk? Such as a great villain?"

It was fine. He wasn't anywhere close.

"Maybe even…"

Izuku could get his friends out in time. No problem.

They would come for him.

He was going to get out—

"…from a family member?"

Shouto stomach clenched, and it must've shown on his face because Mori's smile was back.

"Ah. Did I guess right?" Mori asked. He chuckled softly. "It seems you really aren't the Todoroki Shouto I knew, but some sort of… clone."

Shouto barely resisted rolling his eyes. He's heard enough of that from Bakugou.

Mori took the blade from Shouto's neck and handed it to one of the guards. He reached inside of his blazer pocket and pulled out his phone, quickly swiping his thumb in search for something. When he found what he was looking for, his eyes brightened and he turned the phone around so Shouto could see.

Shouto inhaled a painful breath.

On his phone was a picture of Endeavor. But instead of him standing in his arrogant pose, all covered in his hot flames, he was chained to a wall, face splattered with blood and his muscles atrophied. He was the shell of the man he used to be, but Shouto could still tell it was his father.

"So you_ do_ recognize him, then?" Mori asked. "Fascinating. I took this picture of him yesterday. Still hasn't died on me, yet."

Shouto snapped his eyes up at Mori. "H-He's here?"

"Back to the questions?" Mori chuckled. "Yes, of course. I need him alive until the very end."

Shouto's eyes narrowed. "Very end of what?"

Mori gave him a strange, friendly smile. "The end of quirks."

Shouto suddenly felt sick to his stomach. The end of quirks? Was this guy really trying to wipe out quirks altogether?

No, he wouldn't. Then he would just kill them off, wouldn't he? Why keep them in the prison, then?

He wouldn't just kill everyone… would he?

"Ah, I've seen that look on your face before," Mori said. He chuckled and shook his head. "Although, I've forgotten that I've already given this speech to you in the past."

Shouto shivered as a drop of blood slid across his hip. He hated where this was going. If only he could access his quirk…

Mori sat back down in his chair and crossed his legs, letting his hands rest on his lap.

"Well, the other you already knew why I had a vendetta with the infamous Endeavor, but when I showed you that picture just now, you looked so confused," Mori said. "As you saw, your father and I didn't exactly get along."

Shouto scoffed. Not surprising. There were several people who had quarrels with his father.

"Although, I suppose I should be thanking him," Mori said, his face turning smug. "After all, he _was_ the inspiration behind all of this."

* * *

Izuku poked his head out of the bathroom and quickly looked down the hallways. The new helmet on his head exposed his face, so he would have to be extremely cautious when he talked to the other guards. He hoped that he could pull it off.

Once the coast was clear, he took a deep breath and exited the bathroom, tugging on the slightly baggy pants of the prison guard uniform. He adjusted the gun in his arms and nearly tripped over the too-large shoes.

He hoped that the guard would stay passed out in the bathroom long enough. He shackled him to a toilet and gagged him, but there was no telling when someone else would enter and find him in the stall.

Izuku felt sweat on the back of his neck, feeling the danger from the situation. This was so incredibly risky. Committing an act like this could warrant execution.

He took a shaky breath and hurried back to the hallway where Kacchan and Kirishima were still huddled in a cell. He had to get back to them and clear out the halls as quickly as possible before Hagakure could—

"Oof!"

Suddenly, Izuku slammed into something and then fell on his back, his gun falling from his grasp. He groaned as he sat up, his hands coming to his back.

"Sorry, I didn't see…"

Izuku's voice trailed off when he found no one in front of him. He blinked, glancing around.

"What in the…"

"M-Midoriya?"

Izuku's heart did a flip inside of his chest. He scrambled up onto his feet and glanced around.

"Hagakure?" Izuku called.

"Ah, Midoriya! I found a keycard!"

Suddenly, a keycard floated up from the floor and into Izuku's hands. He glanced down at it and read over the description, a smile breaking out on his face when he realized who the card belonged to.

"Hagakure, you did it!" Izuku said, smiling brightly.

Hagakure hummed, and although Izuku couldn't see her, he was sure she was smiling.

"Okay, let's go get our friends," Izuku said.

"Right!"

They rushed back down the hall and turned the corner, Izuku nearly bumping into another guard. He choked on a gasp and nodded to the guard as he passed, keeping his head down. Once they were out of sight, Izuku picked up the pace and rushed back to the same hallway where they once stood.

When Izuku came upon the line of prison cells, a guard was standing near Kacchan's cell.

Izuku skidded to a stop and resumed a leisure pace as he headed towards the guard. He wracked his brain for ideas, testing them on his tongue. When he found a probable lie, his thoughts going back to the layout of the prison, he breathed slowly and deeply to get his breathing under control and then came to a stop in front of the guard.

"Boss says we need to head to the training field," Izuku lied.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kacchan and Kirishima glance his way.

"Training field?" the guard asked. "For what?"

Izuku shrugged. "Didn't say. He told me to grab the people he needed."

The guard hesitated for a moment, eyeing Izuku with narrowed eyes. Izuku could feel the sweat soaking his back, making the material stick uncomfortably to his skin.

Finally, after a big sigh, the guard slumped and reluctantly headed down the hall, mumbling, "This better be good."

When he was fully out of sight, he quickly turned towards the cell and swiped the card, the door opening automatically. Izuku braced himself for any type of alarm but nothing happened. The hall was silent.

"Holy crap!" Kirishima exclaimed.

"Let's go," Izuku said, nodding towards the exit.

Kacchan and Kirishima didn't waste any time, and they hurried outside of the bars, both of them flinging their shackles off.

"Okay, do you know where the rest of our friends are?" Izuku asked Kirishima.

Kirishima thought for a moment and then snapped his fingers. "I saw a bunch of them get carted down that way!"

He pointed down the end of the hall where double doors sat. Izuku nodded in response.

"All right. Let's go find them," Izuku said. "You guys stay behind me in case there are other guards."

The four of them rushed down the hall towards the double doors, Kirishima and Kacchan staying at a safe distance behind him. Hagakure stayed by Izuku's side, her breathing the only evidence of her presence.

"So, is Todoroki in on this, too? Where is he?" Kirishima asked.

Izuku's heart jolted, the sudden reminder now fresh in his mind. Why had they taken Todoroki, again?

"Things went a little south," Kacchan mumbled.

"Huh?! Is he okay?" Kirishima asked, a little panicked.

Kacchan didn't respond, but he must've given Kirishima a wordless answer.

Izuku felt a pit growing in his stomach at the thought. He knew he had a job to do, but could he really just abandon Todoroki here?

"Midoriya," Hagakure called softly. Izuku glanced over at her invisible presence. "I heard the guards talking about Todoroki."

Izuku's eyes widened. "What?"

"They were saying something about how the president is obsessed with the Todoroki family…" Hagakure said softly. "Would you know anything about that?"

Izuku bit his lip as he approached the double doors, his brain juggling the new information. President Mori… obsession with Todoroki. It didn't make much sense. In all of the years that Izuku spent with Todoroki, the quiet boy never said a word about there being hatred between his family and the president. He barely even spoke of his family at all.

Izuku felt his heart squeeze painfully in his chest.

If only he had gotten closer to Todoroki when he had the chance.

"No, I…" Izuku murmured. "I have no idea."

* * *

Shouto's eyes flashed.

"What are you talking about?" he asked Mori.

Mori's smug face only increased, making Shouto grit his teeth in annoyance.

"Thought you'd be curious," Mori said.

Mori stood to his feet and nodded at the guards, both of them bowing in response. The guards left the room in a haste, leaving Shouto alone with this crazy president.

"I was born quirkless, you see. One of the few born this way," Mori said, taking off his blazer and placing it over his chair. He walked over to the table of tools and picked up a pair of pliers, turning them over in his hand and looking at them carefully. "I was studying to be a police officer because I wanted to make a difference in the world."

He put down the pliers and went on to a different tool.

"But one day, my university came under attack by a bunch of villains. I was one of the hostages," Mori said, his expression unreadable. "I was about to be the first sacrifice when, in all his blaze and glory, Endeavor broke through the walls and nearly fried every villain in the room."

Mori set the tool down and stared at the table, his expression falling slightly. It made Shouto tense up slightly, his heart starting to climb up his throat.

Something wasn't right.

"I wanted to thank Endeavor for saving me. I wanted to tell him how much I admired his hard work, and how much I wanted to be a hero, too," Mori said. "So once the chaos was over, I did just that. I marched right up to him and thanked him. I told him about my life, how I was born quirkless but I still wanted to be a hero. And do you know what he said?"

Mori turned around and faced Shouto, his expression nearly crazed as he stared with wide eyes. Shouto pressed his back against the chair, not wanting him to get any closer.

"Endeavor took one look at me and said that quirkless people are useless to society."

Shouto's stomach dropped, eyes blowing wide. He knew his father was terrible at communicating to the press, and that his social skills were lacking, but to tell someone, a _citizen_, that they were useless? It didn't much shock Shouto as it disappointed him.

He was glad he decided to follow his own path to become a hero.

"I went into a blind rage, quitting school and instead seeking out those who also hated the oppression that quirk users brought upon this society," Mori said.

He unbuttoned his white shirt and slipped it off of his shoulders, leaving him in just a white tank. Shouto spotted several scars on his arms, all different in shape and size.

"It was a slow process, but I gained trust from several different groups. I rose to power easily and climbed my way up the ladder, and once I became prime minister, I turned this country upside down, claiming myself as 'president,' and I began to eradicate everything that the heroes stood for," Mori said.

He approached Shouto with a wicked look on his face, and Shouto squirmed against the bindings.

"I thought about killing all of them off, leaving just a society of quirkless, normal people," Mori said. "But that would be such a waste of an opportunity. Instead of that, I came up with an alternative."

Suddenly, Mori's left arm ignited into bright, orange flames.

Shouto gasped, eyes blowing wide. He shook his head at Mori, jaw dropping in disbelief.

"You… That's…" Shouto stuttered.

"Look familiar?" Mori asked.

Then, Mori lunged his left arm forward and slammed his palm onto the right side of Shouto's chest. His flesh began to burn, and Shouto couldn't bite back the scream that clawed up his throat.

It was the same pain that he grew up with, the same pain that disfigured the left side of his face, the same pain that brought him so much emotional turmoil that it left him socially disjointed from the rest of his peers.

The intensity of the pain stopped as Mori took his flaming hand away from Shouto's burned and bleeding chest, allowing Shouto to breathe and hiss.

"Y-You," Shouto began through gritted teeth, "f-figured… out how to transfer quirks."

Mori smiled as he put out the flames.

"Well, aren't you just clever?"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

* * *

_Shouto slowly blinked at the wall. He tugged on the "restraints" and readjusted himself in his seat, squirming until he got comfortable. He let out a soft sigh at the situation. _

_What kind of mission was this anyway? What purpose did he serve just sitting here?_

_The teachers scheduled an exercise that focused on rescue. All of the students had to race to get to the victim, and the fastest person there would receive extra credit and dibs on Lunch Rush's famous dessert. _

_Shouto wasn't too interested in the dessert, but he could always use the extra credit. With that, he could sleep more and study less._

_However… Principal Nezu decided to add a twist to it._

_Instead of using a dummy or mannequin as the victim or hostage, he put all of Class 2-A's names into a hat. _

_And lo and behold, Shouto's name was drawn._

_So here Shouto was, sitting in an undisclosed room on an uncomfortable chair with his hands lightly bound to the armrests. _

_Since he was the lucky candidate to be chosen for this task, Aizawa promised him extra credit, but no dessert. Shouto was fine with this, but he had to admit he was a little bummed he couldn't compete against his classmates. _

_He was patient enough to play the victim, but he was incredibly bored._

_He twisted a bit in his seat, letting out another sigh. How long had he been sitting in this room? It had to be at least an hour now. Was he really so difficult to find? He recalled Aizawa saying that there would be obstacles along the way, but would that really slow the entire class down this much?_

_Shouto leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling, pondering the situation. _

_He was friends with most of his classmates by now. After having such a rocky start, he came across as cold and aloof. But now, mostly everyone had warmed up to him. Even Bakugou exchanged less harsh words with him every now and then. _

_But…_

_"You think 'friends' will assist you when their lives are in danger?"_

_"You don't need them. They will only drag you down."_

_"They will make you weak, Shouto."_

_"You can only rely on yourself!"_

_"Don't be so weak-minded!"_

_Shouto sighed, feeling a slight twinge in his chest. He wondered if his friends… classmates… were even concerned for his safety. They were just doing this exercise for the extra credit and free dessert, right? It had to be the reason anyone would get so worked up over _him.

_Although… _

_The only person to get so worked up over him was—_

_Suddenly, a blast from the far wall rocked Shouto's chair, nearly knocking him over. He glanced over the wall and saw a gaping hole that someone had smashed into it, rubble everywhere and smoke starting to raise to the ceiling._

_Shouto squinted, his brain wracking on who could've gotten here so soon and created such a large explosion._

_Oh, great. He really hoped it wasn't Bakugou._

_His wish was quickly granted when a shorter figure appeared through the smoke, his green eyes also trying to peer around._

_Izuku? Shouto thought, eyes blowing wide._

_Izuku noticed Shouto and his eyes briefly showed relief before panic overtook them again. With the assistance of his quirk, he hurried over by Shouto's side and grabbed Shouto by his shoulders, eyes looking over him._

_"Are you okay?!" Izuku asked._

_Shouto blinked at him, jaw dropping and unable to speak for a moment. When he didn't reply soon enough, Izuku's eyes widened even more as his shoulders tensed._

_"Oh my gosh! Are you really that injured? Where does it hurt?" Izuku began to pat his hands across Shouto's shoulders and chest, his brows furrowing more and more as he struggled to find any wounds. "Wait, what if it's internal!"_

_"Izuku, I'm fine," Shouto said, finally finding his voice. _

_Izuku looked at him sharply. "What?"_

_"I don't have any injuries," Shouto explained. "I'm fine."_

_The darkness in Izuku's eyes lifted as he blinked at Shouto, almost not believing him. But when Shouto tilted his head to the side in a questioning manner, the crease in between Izuku's brow faded._

_"You're really okay?" Izuku asked, kneeling down to loosen the bindings around Shouto's arms. "You're not lying?"_

_"Really. I'm fine," Shouto said, rubbing his wrists after they were free from the chair. "Why would you think otherwise?"_

_Izuku had charged into the room in such a panic—something must've happened._

_At his question, Izuku's face went a little pale._

_"Right before we started, Principal Nezu told us that you were injured," Izuku explained. He rubbed the back of his neck. "He said it with a smile on his face, but none of us knew if he was joking or not. So…" _

_Then, suddenly, Izuku's face turned red. His hand traveled up to his forehead, his fingers playing with his bangs._

_"I… I guess I overreacted," he finished. _

_Shouto's chest fluttered a bit and he huffed out a breath, standing to his feet. He took a leap and clasped Izuku on his shoulder, offering him a rare smile._

_"Thank you for worrying about me," Shouto said._

_Izuku hesitated and then gave a wobbly smile, looking a bit bashful. He rubbed the back of his neck and hummed._

_"Any time."_

* * *

Shouto gagged and spit out blood, sending him into a coughing spell that rattled his broken ribs.

He was just punched in the gut by a hardened hand, thanks to some kind of rock quirk. It reminded Shouto of Tetsutetsu or Kirishima, but neither of them could turn their bodies into literal rocks.

But, apparently, Mori—the self-claimed quirkless-born man—was now wielding a fist made of stone.

Shouto swallowed some air and then glanced up at Mori, his eye twitching from the pain.

He vaguely wondered if this Izuku would come to save him. After everything that happened here, would this Izuku risk his life to come and save him? Someone that shared the face of his fallen friend?

Shouto swallowed some blood and pushed the thought away. He would have to depend on himself for now.

Mori stared down at him with smug satisfaction written all over his face.

"Well? Are you going to tell me who you really are, yet?" Mori asked, his hand changing back to normal. He brought up his other arm and ice formed up to his elbow.

Shouto winced, staring at his own quirk on the man's hand. But it wasn't quite his quirk. It belonged to the other Todoroki who lived in this universe.

When Shouto remained silent, Mori reached down to Shouto's left side and wrapped his fingers in an icy grip. The contrast on Shouto's hot side made his skin burn.

"Or should I try to encourage you more?" Mori asked, making his arm slightly colder.

Shouto winced slightly and shivered, but kept his mouth shut. As Mori continued to burn, slash, freeze, and melt his skin, Shouto took notice of a flaw in Mori's new abilities.

He could only summon one quirk at a time.

Mori took his hand from Shouto's freezer-burned arm and stared down at him, a thoughtful look on his face. The ice melted from Mori's arm and he turned back towards the wall, grabbing a device from the counter. He fiddled with it until a screen materialized on the wall.

Shouto moved his eyes to what was on the screen, his breath catching.

He was staring back at his own face. Well, a different version of his face. The word "deceased" was listed under his name, which made Shouto shiver slightly. What an eerie feeling.

"There has to be something here," Mori said calmly, his voice barely above a whisper.

His hands swiped on the device, moving the picture on the screen to a different inmate Shouto didn't recognize. He swiped again.

"I'm sure there's someone with a truth-telling quirk somewhere…" Mori said, swiping through and looking up at the screen.

Shouto took slow breaths, his entire body burning and stinging with pain. The wounds were starting to fester as the blood dripped down his ribs and soaked his pants.

His eyes darted around the room in search of some way to escape. He gave a tug on the shackles, testing their strength, but his body was so weak that his arms barely moved.

He sighed and readjusted his aching shoulders, his eyes going back up to the screen to distract his mind from the pain and the heavy temptation to pass out. A few more unfamiliar faces swiped through, Shouto blinking blearily up at the prisoners, his frustration burning like embers.

There were a few more swipes, more fuzzy faces passing by on the screen, until a familiar face popped up on the screen.

Shouto's heart squeezed and nearly dropped into his stomach.

On the screen was a purple-haired woman.

Whose quirk was labeled as "Rift."

* * *

Izuku hurried down the halls and warded off any guards along the way, sending all of them to different locations. Hagakure, Kacchan, and Kirishima were close behind, all eyes scanning the cells for their friends.

They came to a stop at a corner, catching their breath.

"Are you sure they came this way?" Izuku asked Kirishima.

Kirishima winced, scratching his hand through his black hair.

"I… I saw them go down this way, but maybe they went to the higher floors?" Kirishima said.

Izuku hesitated, putting a hand to his chin. "I suppose it's possible that they were led upstairs. There are other cells…"

"Well, let's hurry it up then!" Kacchan hissed. "I hate this damn place."

"We all do, Kacchan," Izuku said tiredly.

He was well aware of how awful this wretched place was. The image of Todoroki being shot to death would be burned in his mind for the rest of his life.

Todoroki…

Izuku chewed on his lip. He recalled the guard at the entrance ordering that this Todoroki be brought to an interrogation room. He wracked his brain and tried to reimagine the layout of the prison in his mind. It was a few floors up, if he remembered correctly, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly where it was.

He wondered if he was okay.

"Midoriya!"

Izuku felt a tug on his sleeve and he cut his eyes to the space next to him. His sleeve was pinched in between two invisible fingers.

"I think I see Ochako!" Hagakure said.

Izuku's eyes widened. "Where?"

"Up ahead, cell on the left. I think I saw her hair!"

Izuku leaned up from the wall and peeked around the corner, squinting his eyes to peer down the hallway.

A guard was standing at the end of the hall, gun in hand, but in the cell, Izuku could see a splash of brown hair on rosy cheeks.

His chest tightened. It was her.

"Okay. I'll go talk to the guard," Izuku said, nodding to Hagakure.

Izuku gestured for Kacchan and Kirishima to stay put and he tiptoed around the corner, taking a deep breath before approaching the guard. He cleared his throat and kept his chin down so the man wouldn't peer at his eyes.

"Boss says he needs you in the outer wall," Izuku said.

He heard a soft gasp from his left, and a muffled, "_Deku."_

"Huh? What for?" the guard asked.

Izuku swallowed. "I think he said something about needing more reinforcement."

The guard squinted his eyes at him, suddenly looking apprehensive and wary.

"I don't think I've ever seen you in here before," the guard said.

Izuku's heart jolted. His lip almost twitched but he kept his face still. He could feel his legs start to tremble.

He had come too far to get caught now.

"I'm new, sir," Izuku said, straightening his back. He was surprised that his voice didn't crack.

"A newbie? What in the hell…" the guard groaned. He sighed and shook his head. "Of course Boss would want me down at the wall and not you. Fine. I'll check it out."

Izuku bowed his head politely to the guard as he passed by, holding his breath in his throat until he vanished around the corner. He released a breath and then hurried to face the cell, finally able to spot three of his friends all peering back at him.

"Deku!" Uraraka called, eyes sparkling.

"Midoriya, how on earth did you get in here?" Iida was standing next to her, wrists also in shackles.

"And what's with the uniform?" Tsuyu asked, finger on her chin.

Izuku quickly swiped the keycard, unlocking the door. He quickly yanked it open for them.

"I'll explain later. Come on!" Izuku said, gesturing for them to escape.

Without even a second thought, the three hurried out the door, running into Kacchan and Kirishima who had caught up.

"You guys are here, too?" Tsuyu said in amazement.

"And me!" Hagakure chirped.

"Huh?! Toru?!" Uraraka exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah, gimme your shackles," Kacchan said, pulling out the key from his pocket.

He made quick work of their shackles, each of them all falling to the floor. They rubbed their sore wrists, a little red from the pesky needles.

Izuku took a step forward, eyeing them with a serious expression. "Do you guys know where the rest of our friends are?"

The other three exchanged looks. "We're not sure," Uraraka said sadly.

"We kinda got separated once we were put in here," Tsuyu said.

Izuku took a deep breath, staring down the hallway with sweat forming on his temple. They could just start searching every hallway, looking in each cell and sneaking around. But the guards would probably start catching on if there was a large group lumped together like this.

Unless…

"Kacchan, we need to make a quick stop to the bathroom."

Kacchan stared at him, eyes wide and baffled. The rest of the group also stared at him.

Izuku swallowed and gestured for them to follow him.

"Just… follow me," Izuku said.

He started down the hallway, hearing the footsteps of his friends close behind, until he came upon the same bathroom that he had ducked into earlier. He walked into the stall where he had left his gear, and he heard a collective gasp behind him.

"What the… Deku, what is this?"

Izuku rubbed the back of his neck as he stared down at the passed out security guard shackled to a toilet. He was wearing nothing but his boxers.

"Well, this wasn't part of the plan," Izuku explained, walking over to where he had stuffed the police uniform he changed out of. He tossed it to Kirishima, who caught it with a surprised look on his face. "Put this on."

"What? Why?" Kirishima asked.

"We need to split up," Izuku said, handing him the rest of the uniform. "You need to guide these guys out. Kacchan and I will go and find the rest of our friends."

"Just you two?" Kirishima asked, holding the uniform close to his chest. "Are you sure that's safe? What if something happens to you?"

Kacchan rolled his eyes. "We'll be fine, idiot. I have my quirk, anyway."

Izuku nodded. "You all should get your quirks back soon, too. But don't stick around. Get out now while you still can."

"But what about our friends you rescue once we're out of the prison? Who's gonna help them get out?" Kirishima asked.

Izuku put his thumb to his lip and studied the floor, mumbling as his brain frantically came up with a plan.

"We'll need a diversion," Izuku finally said after a moment.

"A fire would cause panic," Iida said.

"And if the fire alarms went off, it would be pretty chaotic," Uraraka noted.

Izuku blinked at them, nodding along as his thoughts started to come together. He gently rested his fist in his open palm, his jaw dropping as he came up with a plan.

"That's what we'll do," Izuku said. "I'll give you guys some time to get out. Then, we'll start a fire and set off the fire alarms. And while that's going, Kacchan and I can go around and find the rest of our group."

"I will come with you and guide the others to safety," Iida said, raising a flat hand in the air.

"Oh, uh… Thank you, Iida," Izuku said with a nod. He was hesitant to let Iida be anywhere near the madness, but… maybe working together would be the best way to solve this.

"Ugh, can we get on with it?" Kacchan bemoaned.

Izuku rolled his eyes and sighed, turning towards the door. "All right. Let's go."

Tsuyu hesitated, tapping her chin. "What about the rest of the people locked up here?"

Izuku paused by the door of the bathroom, looking at Tsuyu with wide eyes. He tossed the idea around in his mind, remembering the faces they passed on the way back to the bathroom.

"What do you mean, the rest? We don't have time for this!" Kacchan yelled.

The girls looked at each other uneasily. Even Iida looked a bit uncomfortable and unsure.

But Izuku thought back to what Todoroki had told him.

_"We don't leave anyone behind."_

He turned towards Tsuyu and stood firm, confident. He gave her a determined look, his eyes quivering with the severity of his next statement.

"We might not be able to save them all right now, but we will," Izuku said. "Let's save our friends first and then we'll come up with a plan to free the rest of these people."

The group collectively sighed in relief at Izuku's response, and even Kacchan seemed placated for the time being. Izuku nodded to himself, promising that he would someday figure out something to change this disgusting world.

"Lead them out and get them to safety," Izuku told Kirishima. "I'm counting on you."

Kirishima nodded, his eyes sparkling with determination. "Don't worry. I'll get these guys out."

Izuku nodded and then looked to Kacchan. "Let's go."

Kacchan nodded. He gave Kirishima a squeeze on his shoulder before he followed Izuku out of the bathroom, Iida quick to follow behind, as well.

The three hurried down the hallway, eyes scanning each and every cell as they rushed down the hall. The prisoners in the cells didn't even spare them a second glance as they passed, and it made Izuku's stomach twist.

Had they all just given up hope?

"Midoriya!"

Izuku snapped his head forward and saw Iida and Kacchan at a cell, Kacchan's mouth twitched in a small smile.

"Good thing these quirkless idiots are keeping you bastards huddled together," Kacchan said, his smirk growing wider.

Izuku hurried to the cell and peered inside, a smile lighting on his face, too.

"Tokoyami!" he shouted with glee. He glanced to the rest of the cell and his smile only brightened. "Jiro, and Shoji, too! You guys are all together!"

Tokoyami blinked at him in surprise. "Midoriya. What are you doing here?"

"How did you get in here?" Shoji asked under his mask. Izuku was surprised he was still allowed to have it.

"And why are you here? This isn't safe," Jiro asked, looking down the hall nervously.

Izuku didn't waste a second. He pulled out the keycard and swiped it on the reader, unlocking the cell door.

"We're here to get you guys out," Izuku said, yanking the door open.

The three looked stunned as Kacchan pulled out a key and started to unlock their shackles. Shoji had three sets of shackles on, but luckily the key fit all of them.

Once they were off their wrists, the three followed Kacchan out of the cell and into the hallway.

"All right, we still need to give Kirishima time to get the others out," Izuku said. "Let's keep moving."

* * *

It was her. It was the villain that sent him to this strange world.

But she looked different—purple hair tangled, face dirty… not the prim and proper woman he had met at the bank robbery back in his world.

Shouto swallowed. That was right. She wasn't alive in this world.

Was he… really stuck here?

"What's this?"

Shouto jolted, head snapping up to looked at Mori. His vision blurred as he stared up at the man in front of him, and he blinked quickly to see. He was starting to lose too much blood.

Mori was smirking at him, his face bright and open in a way that screamed he had the answer.

"You know this woman?" Mori asked, putting down the device.

Shouto frowned, trying to school his expression back into hardened stone. But Mori smiled at him knowingly, and Shouto knew he was too late.

"I see," Mori said, looking up at the screen to read the woman's description. "So you're not a clone or a imposter. You're from a different world."

Shouto glared, the muscles in his arms tensing. Mori chuckled a bit and walked back over to the chair, pulling on his white shirt and fastening the buttons.

"Her control over her quirk didn't have quite the finesse we were hoping for, but we still managed to grab a sample before we disposed of her," Mori said, tucking in his shirt. He grabbed his blazer and pulled his arms through. "Well, then. That seems to open up more opportunities for me…"

"O-Opportunities?" Shouto stuttered. Damn, his body was starting to go into shock. He was desperate to keep his eyes open, blinking until his vision cleared again.

Mori adjusted the blazer on his shoulders and smiled at Shouto.

"You see, Todoroki Shouto," Mori started, his name dripping like acid on his tongue, "Endeavor opened my eyes all those years ago. And now that I've almost accomplished what I need to do here, I might as well move on to bigger and better things."

He walked to the nearby table and grabbed a small dagger, one side of the blade sporting a serrated edge. He studied the blade for a bit, lifting it up to the ceiling to catch it in the light.

"I already have enough recruits for my army. And soon, once all the preparations are complete, I'll wipe out the rest of the quirk users as well as the resistance," Mori said. He tilted his head down to look at Shouto. "And then, I suppose, I should move on to the next world." He approached Shouto with an insidious smile. "Where I can do this all over again."

Shouto's blood boiled as panic seized his heart. He used every last bit of his energy to try to break from his shackles, but with his body too weak, he barely even lifted his back from the chair.

Mori chuckled and approached Shouto, a smirk still on his face. He leaned down and looked Shouto in the eye.

"All of those pathetic people you call friends will all be destroyed."

Shouto couldn't move, but his rage was about to burst. All he could think about were the faces of his friends, his classmates. Even Bakugou, with his mean comments and insults, was a face that came to mind.

And Izuku…

Shouto struggled against the shackles again, his face twisting into a snarl.

"You sick bastard…" Shouto rasped, his voice choking on trickles of blood. "I won't let you get away with this!"

Suddenly, Mori reared his hand back, and a glint of light caught Shouto's eye.

The movement was too quick, and suddenly Shouto was struck in the side with intense pain.

"Augh!" he cried out, heaving in pained breaths. He glanced down to where Mori's hand was and choked back a pained hiss.

The dagger was lodged into his side just above his hipbone.

"Looks like you'll be the first casualty of the new world," Mori said, patting Shouto's cheek with a bloodied hand. He stood back up and wiped the blood off of his hand with a handkerchief he plucked from his pocket.

Shouto grit his teeth and hunched forward, his body fighting to stay conscious.

He had to fight. He had to stop this man before it was too late.

He had to… warn the others.

"I would just finish you off quickly, but this end seems more deserving of a _Todoroki,"_ Mori spat, walking to the door of the interrogation room. He put his hand on the doorknob and glanced back at Shouto over his shoulder. "I wonder… Who really is useless to society now?"

Shouto opened his mouth to retort but Mori slammed the door shut behind him, leaving Shouto to hiss in pain from the object stuck in his side.

His vision was going dark around the edges, and he could feel his body struggling to have energy. But it was slowly shutting down. He could feel it.

"N-No…" Shouto rasped. "I have to… I have to warn them."

He glanced up at the door, watching through bleary eyes as his vision doubled.

"I have to warn… Izuku…"

Then, his world faded to black.

* * *

"Holy cow! Midoriya!"

"How did you get here?"

"Oh thank you, guys! Thank you, thank you!"

Izuku was surprised how quickly they came upon so many familiar faces. Several of them must have been bunched together after their recent capture, but they even found some who had been locked up for quite some time.

He nearly had tears in eyes when he found Ashido and Ojiro, both still in one piece together.

"Okay, we have a big enough group," Izuku said, looking to Iida. "We're going to start the diversion, so you can go ahead and get these guys out."

"Understood," Iida said with a nod. "Everyone, follow me! I will guide you to the exit!"

Their friends, a lot of them dirty and malnourished, nodded and followed Iida closely, all freed from their shackles.

Once they were out of sight, Izuku turned towards Kacchan.

"Okay, we need to create a diversion so they can escape," Izuku said.

Kacchan cracked his knuckles and walked towards a nearby wall, void of any cells.

"No problem," Kacchan said.

His palms started to crackle, and soon the sparks were flying everywhere.

Izuku felt more sweat on his neck. He put out his hands towards him placatingly.

"N-Now, Kacchan, this just needs to be a simple fire," Izuku said.

But Izuku knew his words weren't going to work. He's seen that look on Kacchan's face before.

It was pure rage.

"I'm blowing this place to kingdom come!" Kacchan shouted as he reared his hands back.

"Kacchan!" Izuku squeaked, but he was too late.

Kacchan thrust his hands forward, releasing a wild, uncontrolled blast that rocked the building. The explosion sent both Izuku and Kacchan flying backwards, their backs hitting the opposite wall.

When they looked up to assess the damage, Izuku's eyes nearly bugged out of his skull.

There was a massive hole in the building that led to the outside, the edges singed and burning with pieces falling.

Izuku was surprised that the floor above them didn't collapse.

Suddenly, the fire alarms started blaring, and Izuku could hear the sounds of clicking, followed by an automated message over the intercom that said, "Fire in the east wing, floor 1. All prisoners must evacuate to the courtyard. All personnel report to the first floor for evacuation protocol."

Izuku's eyes widened, and he whipped his head around towards the halls, watching as all of the cellblock doors unlocked.

"What the hell's going on?" Kacchan asked, standing to his feet.

Izuku shook his head. "Looks like the explosion tripped some sort of emergency protocol," Izuku said. "All of the doors are unlocked."

As the words left his mouth, prisoners started to flee from the cells, all looking at each other. Once they noticed the massive hole, however, they made a break for it, ignoring Kacchan and Izuku altogether as they ran out.

Izuku blinked at them, eyes wide. "Well, I… I guess this is one way to get everyone out."

"Tch. Beats trying to find every single one of 'em on every damn floor," Kacchan said, pushing himself up from the floor and moving out of the way of oncoming prisoners. "All right, this takes care of this problem. Let's get the hell outta here."

Kacchan began to move towards the hole, his back straight, but Izuku stood firm, his hands curled into fists.

He couldn't leave just yet.

_"We don't leave anyone behind!"_

Izuku grabbed at his helmet and yanked it off, throwing it on the floor. He turned around and ran in the opposite direction.

"What the— Deku, where the hell are you going?!" Kacchan called.

Izuku glanced over his shoulder. "I have to find Todoroki!"

"Hah?! Seriously, that Clone?!" Kacchan yelled.

"I won't leave him behind!" Izuku rebutted.

Kacchan hesitated for a moment, and then released a frustrated growl, his hands yanking at his hair.

"Damn it, Deku!" he shouted, and then he took off down the hall after him.

* * *

Wha… ugh…

Everything… hurts…

My head is… spinning… I can't…

I can't… breathe…

_"Shouto!"_

H-Huh?

Who…

_"Oh, geez, Shouto… Please, stay with me!"_

Izuku…?

Izuku!

I'm here!

I'm…

Wait…

What about the other Izuku?

_"There's so much blood… Why is there so much blood?"_

_"Midoriya, if you don't leave now, I will force you out myself."_

_"But, Aizawa-sensei! He's bleeding! He's hurt! He needs—"_

_"He needs you to get out so the doctors can do their jobs."_

Ah…

Maybe I can go home.

Maybe I can…

Wait.

What about this other world?

Mori plans to destroy it.

What will the others do? They don't know what danger they're in.

_"Shouto, please!"_

Ugh… I'm…

I'm sorry, Izuku.

_"Shouto…"_

There's…

There's a world I have to protect first.

I will come back.

I will come back to you, Izuku.

I promise.

**"Todoroki!"**

Shouto opened his eyes blearily and stared at the fuzzy tiles on the ground, feeling his hands still tied behind his back. Pain was still radiating through his entire body, sending pinpricks of hot flames rushing through his veins.

Ah, he thought sluggishly. He was still in the other world.

He still had time to—

"Todoroki!"

Shouto suddenly felt a hand on his cheek. He slowly lifted his head and was met with two horrified faces.

"I-Izuku."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

* * *

"Damn it, Deku!"

Izuku could hear Kacchan calling after him as he rushed down the hallway and towads the stairwell near the elevators. He dodged oncoming prisoners who were desperately trying to make their escape through the massive hole in the wall.

"Would you wait a second?!" Kacchan yelled, pushing his way through until he caught up by Izuku's side. "Damn! For being a quirkless bastard, you sure are fast!"

"I'll take that as a compliment," Izuku said, maneuvering around a lump in the crowd.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Kacchan asked. "You know where that Clone is?"

"I think so," Izuku said. "When we got separated at the gate, they mentioned something about an interrogation room."

"And _you_ know where those are?" Kacchan asked, turning sideways to let a large prisoner pass.

"If I remember correctly," Izuku huffed, passing by another prisoner, "then it should be up a few floors."

"A few floors? And we're running there?! We just passed the elevators!"

"The fire alarm is on!" Izuku called over his shoulder as he reached the stairwell door. "They're shut off!"

"For crying out loud…" Kacchan grumbled.

Izuku tore open the stairwell door, Kacchan hot on his tail, and began to rush up the metal steps, skipping two at a time. They passed some prisoners on the way, those who were lucky enough to find the stairwell, anyway.

But as they ascended further, they heard gunshots.

"Get back to your cells!"

"Damn it, what the hell is going on?"

Izuku froze on the stairs and glanced up, hearing the footsteps. He could hear his heart thrumming in his ears. The steps became louder and louder, until two guards came barreling down their floor. One of them locked eyes with Izuku and lifted up his gun, immediately aiming for Izuku's head.

"Don't move!" he yelled.

Izuku lifted up his hands to cover his face, bracing for impact, but Kacchan grabbed his shoulder and pulled him backwards, hauling himself forward and up the stairs. He reared his palm back, sparks crackling to life, and thrust it forward in a punch.

The explosion from Kacchan's hand sent the guards through the wall, debris falling from the new hole. Izuku stared at it blankly for a moment—man, his ears were _ringing_—before he was grabbed by the front of his shirt and yanked forwards towards the next set of stairs.

"Quit gawking!" Kacchan yelled, pushing him to move. "Don't we have a half 'n half bastard to save?"

Izuku snapped out of his daze and hurried up the steps, hoping and praying there would be no more guards across their path.

They finally made it to the 10th floor, and Izuku barreled his way through the door. He glanced both ways down the halls, watching as guards were rushing in every direction.

"This place is really organized, huh?" Kacchan sneered sarcastically, his lips twisting in a satisfied smirk.

Izuku glanced down a hallway and bit his lip. He couldn't remember exactly where the interrogation rooms were, but he knew they were on this floor. The latest blueprints he and Iida drew up had them lined up somewhere around here, but he just couldn't remember _where._

They would just have to search.

"Let's go," Izuku said, picking a hallway. He rushed down the hall, his head constantly swiveling and looking at each door as they passed.

"I'm not seeing anything," Kacchan fussed.

"Keep looking!" Izuku yelled over the fire alarms.

"This is ridiculous. Do we have to search this entire floor?!" Kacchan yelled as they turned down another hallway. "What if more guards show up?!"

"We'll figure that out along the way!"

"For crying out loud, Deku!" Kacchan yelled. "Are you out of your mind?!"

Izuku's eyes scanned the labels over the different rooms. Conference room, storage room, office #4…

"For all we know, they could've fried the idiot's brain or something!" Kacchan shouted.

Izuku winced, scanning the doors.

Come _on_, where was it?!

"Or he's possibly dead—"

"Ah!"

Izuku stopped in his tracks at a door with the label "Interrogation Room 1" etched in a metal bar above the doorframe.

Izuku reached for the doorknob and swung it open.

"Todoroki!" he yelled.

But the room was empty. Lights off, no one at the desk or in the chair.

Izuku nearly swallowed his tongue on his inhale, panic seizing his throat. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself and think rationally before he descended into a state of guilt—he did _not_ want to go back to two years ago where he completely fell apart.

No. He would not let this Todoroki die.

Now, think, Izuku, he told himself. Think!

He thought about the moment Todoroki was taken, the mumbling guards and the disgruntled faces. And then—

_"Take this one to Interrogation Room 2."_

Izuku moved his eyes to the door next to them.

Interrogation Room 2.

Izuku practically lunged to the doorknob, his hands wrenching it open.

"Todoro—"

The name died on his tongue as a gasp choked the words back down.

His friend was tied to a chair, his bare torso covered in blood, and his head was hunched forward.

"Shit," Kacchan hissed, his eyes wide.

"Todoroki!" Izuku yelled, rushing to his side.

As he got closer, he could see the damage more closely. Cuts and bruises, burns and scrapes… And even a knife was lodged into his side.

"Todoroki," Izuku said, his voice shaking. He placed a hand on Todoroki's shoulder. "Todoroki, can you hear me?"

Todoroki groaned softly, his head lolling to the side. Izuku's breath caught and he leaned forward, listening to him grumble incoherently.

"What the hell is going on?" Kacchan asked.

"Just get his cuffs off of him," Izuku said.

As Kacchan walked around to the other side of the chair, Izuku reached forward and gently cupped Todoroki's cheek.

"Todoroki," Izuku called. He didn't respond again and Izuku furrowed his brows. "Todoroki!"

Todoroki's eyes slowly fluttered open, his eyes glossy as he locked them with Izuku's. Then, as if the clouds were lifted, recognition lit on his face as his eyes blew wide.

"I-Izuku," he murmured. He sat up a little, causing a spurt of blood from the knife wound to drip down to his pant line.

"Todoroki," Izuku whispered, horrified.

"Izuku," Todoroki rasped, louder this time. "We h-have to… We have to stop him!"

Izuku put his hands on Todoroki's shoulders. "Don't move. Kacchan is getting your shackles off."

"B-But—"

"Hold still, Clone!" Kacchan growled from behind Todoroki's chair as he slipped the keys into place.

"N-No, wait," Todoroki said, leaning towards Izuku to catch his eyes.

The shackles came off and Todoroki pitched forward, Izuku bracing him up as he grunted in pain.

"T-Todoroki!" Izuku exclaimed.

"We h-have to do s-something or—" Todoroki's voice cut off as he grunted in pain, his quivering hand reaching around to touch his side, his fingers grazing the knife.

"Whoa, don't touch it," Izuku said, taking his hand. "You'll bleed out if we remove it."

Todoroki just looked up at him, confusion written on his face. "H-Huh?"

"He's totally lost it," Kacchan said, throwing the shackles aside.

Izuku winced. "He needs help. We've got to get him out of here."

"Izuku…" Todoroki mumbled, and then his head fell forward, nudging against Izuku's shoulder.

"He can barely stay conscious!" Kacchan said, his eyes flitting towards the exit. "We have to leave _now!"_

Izuku grimaced, his hands holding on to Todoroki's battered torso. He felt a chill shoot down his spine when he felt the blood slide in between his fingers.

He took a deep breath. He wasn't going to let Todoroki die.

Izuku gently pushed Todoroki backwards and then shifted him sideways on the chair. He nudged one hand underneath Todoroki's knees while the other wrapped around to cradle his back. As gently as he could manage, Izuku scooped Todoroki up in his arms, his hands desperately avoiding any wounds that he could. The knife in his side faced outwards, and Izuku took a mental note to not let anything run into it.

Todoroki let out a pained whimper, his head rolling sideways to rest against Izuku's chest. His eyes were squeezed shut and his breaths were suddenly shallower. His forehead felt warm against Izuku's neck.

"Okay," Izuku said with a deep breath. "Let's get out of here."

Kacchan let out a huff. "Finally!"

Kacchan led the way out of the interrogation room, his head whipping side to side to look out for any oncoming guards. Izuku followed closely behind, keeping Todoroki close to his body.

The alarms were still blazing by the time they made it to the stairwell, the noise still piercing even as they began their descent. Kacchan kept an eye on each door they passed, his palms ready to blast any guard that even came near them.

When they toed their way past the second floor where Kacchan had blasted the two guards through the walls, they heard voices coming up the stairs.

They both froze, listening to the sounds of footsteps and loud voices echoing from below. There were several of them, and they were approaching fast.

"Kacchan, what do we do?" Izuku whispered.

Kacchan grit his teeth, his eyes looking to the nearby wall. He swallowed thickly and whipped his arm back towards Izuku.

"Back up," Kacchan commanded.

Izuku quickly did as he was told, cradling Todoroki closer to himself, and watched as Kacchan reared back for another blast. This time, the blast knocked down the wall straight to the next floor, sending dust and debris everywhere.

When the smoke cleared, Izuku opened his eyes and was amazed to see the street below.

They were almost out.

"What the hell was that?!" a voice shouted from below.

"C'mon!" another shouted.

The footsteps were running now, and Kacchan glanced back at Izuku with a desperate expression.

"Don't just stand there! Move!" he shouted.

Izuku swallowed and hurried to his side. Kacchan's hands tucked under Izuku's armpits as they ran towards the hole in the wall, practically lifting him from the ground.

"Kacchan?" Izuku asked.

"Just keep going!" Kacchan yelled.

Bullets started to fly towards them and ricocheted off of the nearby walls. Izuku felt a sting on his cheek as a bullet grazed him, but he didn't dare stop to look behind him.

When they reached the edge of the building, they both leaped. Izuku felt panic's attempt at controlling his chest, but when he felt Kacchan's arms reaching around to hold on to him, the feeling vanished.

Izuku glanced down at the ground and braced his legs for landing. With Kacchan's help, they both landed on their feet without any damage done to either one.

"All right, let's go," Kacchan said, nodding towards an alleyway void of any guards.

Izuku nodded and readjusted Todoroki in his arms, hurrying to run after Kacchan. Todoroki let out a low groan at the movement, his face scrunched up in pain. Izuku eyed the knife and saw that it had tilted slightly from the jump.

"Damn it," Izuku mumbled as they started to run down the narrow space. "He really needs a doctor or something…"

"We'll get to that when we find a safe place to stop," Kacchan said, surprisingly calm.

Izuku nodded even though Kacchan couldn't see it, silently following behind his explosive friend.

Todoroki shivered in his arms, and Izuku wasn't sure if it was from the cold or his wounds. Was he dying?

Izuku shuddered, his hands clutching onto Todoroki's body.

"Where's everyone else?" Izuku called.

"They probably scattered," Kacchan yelled, taking a turn out of the alleyway and onto a street. "It's hard to tell where anyone would be by now."

Izuku frowned. "I hope they're all okay…"

"They're not complete idiots," Kacchan said. "They'll be fine. Stop worrying."

Izuku wanted to believe him. He desperately wanted to believe him.

They started their walk down an empty roadway, Kacchan looking around for any signs of familiar faces, when they suddenly heard a shout from behind.

"Hey, there're some escaping down there!"

They both flinched, turning around to see a group of guards running towards them from down the road.

"Damn it, these guys never quit!" Kacchan growled.

"What do we do, Kacchan?" Izuku asked nervously as he glanced down at Todoroki. "They'll kill Todoroki if we leave him!"

He could see his Todoroki in his mind as his broken, bullet-filled body leaned against the fence, a sad smile on his face as he asked Kacchan to drag Izuku away.

No, Izuku thought. He couldn't do this.

He wasn't going to see Todoroki die again!

"**Hey**!"

Izuku whirled around towards the source of the voice and spotted someone waving to them at the end of the street.

And their hand… was huge.

"This way!" the voice yelled. "Hurry!"

Izuku and Kacchan exchanged skeptical looks before rushing down the street towards them, trying their best to outrun the men that were chasing them. But with Todoroki in his arms, Izuku was slower. He knew he should've worked out more, dang it!

As they got closer, Izuku could see that the source of the large hand was a girl with red hair tied into a side ponytail.

"Come on!" she shouted.

Izuku's teeth clamped down on his bottom lip. He hoped this girl was leading them to safety somehow. But as he looked around, it just seemed like it was an open street.

Was this a trap?

But the girl obviously had a quirk…

So why—

"Pony! Ibara! Juzo! Now!" the girl called out.

Izuku's eyes widened as he saw three people jump out of a nearby alleyway, two girls and one guy. One girl had horns on her head, and she shot out three other horns towards the guards, hitting them in the shoulders and knocking them back.

The other girl had green vines for hair, and she knelt down on the road and placed her hands together, making a few vines to sprout up from the ground and attach to some of the guard's ankles.

The boy rushed forward towards the guards, seemingly unarmed, and the sight of it made Izuku feel queasy. But at the last moment, the boy slid down to the ground and placed his hands on the pavement. Right before his eyes, Izuku watched as the road melted, and the guards sunk into it like quicksand. They were scrambling to get out but couldn't find any leverage to escape.

"Whoa…" Izuku whispered.

"Okay, let's get out of here before more come," the girl with the red hair said.

Izuku blinked at her, watching as her hand shrank back to normal size. She nodded to her three companions and then glanced back to Izuku and Kacchan.

"I'll take you guys back to our hideout," she said. "It's a little ways away, but we'll walk fast."

She started to walk off, Izuku and Kacchan hurrying after her. The three other companions sunk back into the shadows of the alleyway, disappearing before their eyes.

"We heard that there was a massive prison break," the girl said as they walked down the street. "We've been trying to direct some of the prisoners we see to our hideout."

"Oh! Then maybe you've seen some people from our group!" Izuku shouted, eyes wide.

The girl smiled. "It's possible. We've seen nearly fifty people come through here."

"Wow," Izuku breathed.

The girl smiled and then gave a quick glance to Todoroki still quivering in Izuku's arms. Her smile vanished, softening to something more sympathetic.

"I think we have someone to help out your friend there," she said.

"R-Really?!" Izuku asked.

"Mmn. We ran into someone with a healing quirk a while back," she said. "She's a little old, but she used to be a pro back in the day."

"That's amazing!" Izuku said, his breath catching. "So there's a group of you guys hiding out in the city?"

"Yep. About 20 of us," she said. "Now even more with all of the people we've rescued."

"Oh. Does that take up more space in your hideout?" Izuku asked.

The girl waved her hand in the air. "Not at all. We use a big facility that can house a bunch of people."

"I see…" Izuku said. "Oh! I'm Midoriya Izuku. That's Kac—I mean, Bakugou Katsuki. And this is Todoroki Shouto," Izuku said, glancing down at Todoroki in his arms.

The girl nodded at him, a small smile on her face.

"Nice to meet you, Midoriya," she said. "I'm Kendo. Kendo Itsuka."

* * *

_"…outo!"_

_"Well? Are you going to tell me who you really are yet?"_

_"You're weak. This weakness comes from your mother!"_

_"Can you… me?"_

_"You know nothing of this world, so don't talk as if you understand!"_

_"What are you? Some kind of Clone?"_

_"C'mon, Shouto… Don't do this."_

_"You'll never be as powerful as All Might at this rate!"_

_"Would you stop calling me that? Only Todoroki could call me that! You have no right to!"_

_"Shouto…"_

_"You see, Todoroki Shouto, Endeavor opened my eyes all those years ago."_

_"I already have enough recruits for my army."_

No…

_"I'll wipe out the rest of the quirk users as well as the resistance."_

Stop it!

_"And then, I suppose, I should move on to the next world, where I can do this all over again."_

No! Izuku!

I can't let this happen!

Izuku!

_"All of those pathetic people you call friends will all be destroyed."_

Shouto's eyes snapped open with a gasp, eyes coming up to stare at a dim, white ceiling. He blinked a few times, trying to gain some sort of bearings on where he was, and he tried to sit up.

Instant mistake.

Pain radiated throughout his entire body, making him choke and grip at the sheets below him.

Damn…

Everything hurt.

Slowly and gingerly, Shouto lifted his head from the fluffy pillow and glanced down, taking in his appearance.

His torso was covered in thick bandages, some bloodstains bleeding through on his lower left side. What was…?

Ah, that's right. He was stabbed.

By Mori.

Shouto grit his teeth and groaned softly as he plopped his head back on the pillow underneath of his head. He had to warn the others of Mori's plan before it was too late. He had to find Izuku, warn him of what was going to happen, and what Mori's plans were.

With trembling arms, he desperately tried to push himself up from the bed. His body strained with effort, every muscle and fiber protesting and screaming.

"Now, young man, it'd be best if you stayed still."

Shouto flinched at the sudden voice and plopped back against the mattress, hissing and squeezing his eyes shut when his body broke out into pins and needles. His chest heaved as he gasped in painful breaths, each time his lungs burning.

"Easy now," the voice—a familiar voice—said to him, and they laid a hand on his shoulder. "You don't want to reopen any stitches now, do… Ah, I see you've already opened the ones on your side."

Shouto's eyes fluttered open and gazed up at the woman above him, his eyes widening once he recognized her face.

"R-Recovery Girl?" Shouto called out weakly.

The woman looked up from the wound on his side and stared at him with surprise. "My, I haven't heard that name in quite some time!"

She unwrapped the bandages carefully, and Shouto got a glimpse of red peeking out amongst the stark white bandages. He leaned his head back and stared up at the ceiling, trying to block the pain out of his mind.

It wasn't working so well.

"That used to be my pro-hero name back when I worked at UA," she continued, picking up a needle and thread. "I'm surprised you recognized me."

Shouto hissed as she started re-stitching the wound together, and his hands bunched up the sheets below him again.

"Since it's been so long that I've worked on injuries of this severity, your wounds will be slow to heal," she explained.

Shouto took in a wheezing breath and tried to stay still. "It… It hurts to breathe."

Recovery Girl looked at him with a raised brow. "Well I would think so! You came in here with three broken ribs!"

Shouto swallowed, taking in shallower breaths to ease the pain. Recovery Girl went back to stitching him up, a small smile on her face.

"I managed to speed up the healing process on them, and two of them are almost completely healed!" she said. Her smile widened. "This old goat's still got it! Ha!"

As she continued the stitching, Shouto tried to distract his mind to keep his body as still as possible. He glanced around the room, taking in the white walls and medical supplies. There were several other beds in the room, and Shouto wondered if it was made to look like a makeshift hospital wing.

"W-Where is this?" Shouto asked.

"South side of the neutral zone," Recovery Girl responded, sticking the needle into his hip. Shouto bit back a hiss. "We're a group that's been in hiding for quite some time."

"I-Is… Is this a hospital?" Shouto asked blearily.

"Oh, no. This is actually a school building," she responded. She cleaned up the blood on his side and then wrapped fresh bandages over it. "It looks so run down on the outside that no police ever come in here. We're pretty good at hiding."

Hiding in plain sight, Shouto thought. It was definitely less flashy than a tall hotel building. Not to say that Izuku's group was wrong in their choice, but…

Wait, Shouto thought.

Izuku.

"I… Izuku," Shouto rapsed, his voice growing louder.

"Hm?" Recovery Girl hummed, looking at him.

"Izuku," Shouto repeated. "W-Where is he? Where's Izuku?"

Recovery Girl put a hand on her chin, humming to herself. "Izuku… Do you mean that young man who carried you here? Dark hair, green eyes?"

Shouto managed a slight nod, grunting when his shoulder pulled slightly. What else was wrong with him?

"He's in the library with the others," Recovery Girl mentioned. "But you need your rest."

Shouto shook his head. He could see Mori's wretched smile behind his eyelids and he could hear his evil voice bouncing around in his ears. He had to warn Izuku. He had to get these people out before it was too late.

"N-No, I…" Shouto protested weakly.

"Rest," Recovery Girl said, placing a small kiss on his forehead.

Shouto's mind suddenly clouded, and his entire body felt sluggish as if he were sinking into the mattress. His eyes drooped closed and before he knew it, he fell back asleep.

* * *

When Shouto's eyes fluttered open again, the room was darker, save for a dim light in the corner of the room.

He felt more refreshed than he had earlier. His body still stung and felt incredibly weak, but the pain wasn't as severe. He could also breath much easier, and his side wasn't killing him like it was before.

He swallowed dryly and wondered how long he had been out.

"Almost 24 hours."

Shouto inhaled sharply, barely holding back a flinch. He turned his head to the side to see Izuku sitting in a chair near his bed, his eyes staring up at him tiredly. His lips were pulled to the side in a small, sleepy smile, and he had a square bandage taped to his cheek.

"Izuku…" Shouto called, trying to push himself up.

Izuku sprang from his chair, putting down the notebook he had, and hurried to his side.

"You shouldn't be moving so much," Izuku said, putting a hand on Shouto's chest.

"I'm f-fine," Shouto said, and he inwardly cursed himself for stuttering.

Izuku hesitated for a moment before relenting, letting out a soft sigh. Instead of pushing him back down, he grabbed more pillows and helped Shouto sit upright in his bed. He glanced down at the bandages covering Shouto's body and frowned, looking around.

"She didn't give you a blanket," Izuku said, brows furrowed.

"It's fine," Shouto said.

"Aren't you cold?" Izuku asked.

Shouto lifted his left hand and nodded towards it in response, and Izuku's shoulders slumped.

"Right. Fire quirk," Izuku said with a sigh. "How're you feeling?"

Shouto glanced down at the bandages wrapped around his chest and abdomen.

"Better than… before," Shouto said slowly. "I just… feel really tired."

Izuku nodded, glancing at the other beds in the room. "The nurse here said something about her quirk making people really tired."

Oh, right. How could he forget the grogginess afterwards? She always offered some candy as a way to get the energy levels back up once it was done. It was strange how he suddenly craved a Snickers bar.

"Everyone made it out," Izuku said, a smile on his face. "Plus a few more of our friends that have been locked up for a while."

Shouto blinked at him, lips parting slightly. All of them had made it out? How was that possible? How did they all come here?

"How?" Shouto asked.

Izuku smiled. "When we all escaped, a girl was calling out to us down the street. She led us here to this school. This is the infirmary wing."

Right. Recovery Girl mentioned something about a school.

"It was pretty crazy trying to get you out," Izuku said, his smile faltering. "We didn't think you would…"

He bit his lip, eyes shimmering suddenly. He glanced up at Shouto with passion in his green eyes.

"What _happened_, Todoroki? What did they do to you?" Izuku asked. "You were… covered in so many injuries, and… the knife, I… I wasn't sure if you were going to survive it."

Shouto blinked at him, stunned. He opened his mouth to speak, to comfort, when Mori's face flashed in his mind.

All of those long hours of being beaten, punched, cut, and burned all came back to him, and his stomach churned with nausea.

Shouto gasped softly and leaned forward, grabbing Izuku by his bicep.

"T-Todoroki," Izuku gasped.

"Izuku, we… we have to stop him," Shouto said, glancing up at him.

"Who?" Izuku asked, putting his hand over Shouto's.

"Mori. President Mori." Shouto swallowed, throat bobbing. "He's going to kill everyone, regardless if they have a quirk or not. And he can use quirks now, too."

Izuku's eyes widened. "What?! He can _use_ quirks?!"

Shouto nodded, putting a hand to his ribs. "He burned me with my own quirk."

Izuku shook his head. "But how?"

"I don't know," Shouto said. "But he's going to use it to kill anyone who gets in his way."

He leaned forward more and grabbed Izuku's shoulder, becoming more desperate.

"If we don't stop him, he'll wipe out this world and move on to the next! And then he'll—ugh!"

Shouto let go of Izuku and gripped his side, remembering the stitches that Recovery Girl so painstakingly had to sew a little while ago. His wound must've still been tender for it to burn so much.

"Todoroki!" Izuku squeaked, reaching forward and gently grabbing his shoulders. "Take it easy. You were badly injured, I could barely carry you."

So Izuku was the one who carried him to safety. Ah, he really should've stayed conscious through all of that. He wondered how close they came to dying because of him.

How careless of him. And how reckless of Izuku.

Shouto took deep breaths until the pain in his side subsided, allowing his head to press forward onto Izuku's shoulder.

"Uh, T-Todoroki?" Izuku called nervously.

"Sorry for all the trouble," Shouto said.

Izuku made a disgruntled noise. "Todoroki, you don't—"

"But thank you," Shouto said softly, "for coming back for me."

Shouto heard Izuku inhale softly against his ear, his breath gently moving his hair. His hand came up to touch Shouto's back, gently holding him up so he wouldn't fall.

"Well, someone told me once that we don't leave anyone behind," Izuku said.

Shouto huffed, a tired smile on his lips. "They sound smart."

"Yeah, yeah. All right, let me go get Miss Shuuzenji before you pass out again."

* * *

After looking over his wounds, Recovery Girl deemed Shouto well enough to venture out of the infirmary as long as Izuku accompanied him. She also made them promise not to stay out too long for Shouto needed his rest. Shouto twisted his lips and accepted Izuku's help, even though he'd rather walk on his own.

He would never admit that he wouldn't have made it three steps without Izuku's arms to hold him upright. Never.

But Izuku was gentle and kind enough to help him get into a loose t-shirt to hide his bandages and then his hand snaked around his back to hold his right side, his hands completely avoiding the stab wound.

"Okay, ready to go meet the others?" Izuku asked.

Shouto nodded. "We need to tell the others about Mori, too."

"We will," Izuku said, determined look on his face. "I've already informed Iida to gather up everyone."

Shouto felt his shoulders sag a bit. So Iida _was_ safe. It wasn't that Shouto didn't believe him, but he hadn't seen anyone since his capture.

They hobbled down the hallway together and headed towards the library in the center of the school. As they passed each classroom, Shouto could see cots and futons set up, as well as storage boxes with food and other supplies. He wondered how many people stayed here…

They entered through the library doors and Shouto could hear the sounds of talking. They came to the center of the library where several tables had been set up, and a gaggle of people was standing around, all waiting.

As they got closer, Shouto recognized several familiar faces. Dozens, actually.

"Ah, they're here!"

Shouto heard the familiar ringing of Uraraka's voice chiming from the corner end of the table, and she smiled and raised her hand at them. The rest of the room glanced over at them, Shouto taking in all of their relieved faces.

"Wow, man! You were a wreck when you came in here!" Kirishima said. "Glad to see you're okay!"

"Kirishima," Shouto said.

"Todoroki, are you still hurting? Should you really be up?" Momo asked.

"Ah, I'm fine."

"Tch. Took you long enough to get here, half 'n half," Bakugou growled with a haughty sniff.

Shouto managed a small smile at that one. He never thought he would be relieved to hear that stupid nickname.

It was all true. All of their friends had gotten out safely.

Momo, Uraraka, Tsuyu, and Hagakure, along with Sato, Sero, Kaminari, Kirishima, Tokoyami…

Tokoyami?

Shouto blinked at him, bewildered. He opened his mouth to speak when he noticed Shoji standing next him. Ashido was also standing amongst them, along with Jirou.

Not only this, but…

"Ah, I see we have a fresh face to greet us!"

Shouto turned his head and blinked, wide-eyed at yet another familiar face. A young man with blonde hair and quite the sneer on his face.

"Monoma?" Shouto asked, wondering if he even got the name right.

The boy in question faltered, his sneer falling from his face.

"Eh? You know me?" Monoma asked. "How is it that someone like _you_ could possibly know—"

Suddenly, he was smacked on the back of the head.

"Will you shut it, already?" the voice next to him asked.

Shouto blinked again. "Kendo?"

Kendo looked towards him, cocking her head. "You… How do you know who I am?"

Shouto looked around some more, recognizing all of the students from Class B. They were all present and accounted for, as well as all of Class A.

How in the world did they strike such luck? Was it because it was a parallel world? Were these groups of people always meant to know each other?

"All right, enough foolishness."

At the sound of that voice, Shouto's spine tingled. He turned his head, Izuku maneuvering them so they could see the newcomer approaching them. Shouto nearly lost his footing at the sight.

Standing before him was Aizawa, almost exactly the same as the one he knew from his universe. The scraggly hair, tired eyes… It was all the same.

Shouto's chest constricted. This was the closest he's felt to being home ever since he arrived in this crazy world.

"So, I heard you had a message for us, Todoroki," Aizawa said, grabbing his attention. "Care to enlighten us?"

Shouto blinked, exchanging a glance with Izuku. Izuku nodded at him, encouraging him to continue, and Shouto nodded back.

"Yes. There's… There's something we have to do."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

* * *

The room was silent for a while, taking in the information that had spilled from Todoroki's mouth.

Izuku sat uncomfortably, fidgeting in his seat as he saw horrified expressions appear on his friends' faces. It was an ugly sight, and what made it even worse was the look on Todoroki's face. He seemed pained whenever he spoke of Mori, his face scrunching into a tight grimace.

There was something more to their "conversation" that Todoroki left out.

It was obvious from his wounds that he was tortured, but what else did Mori do to him? Todoroki seemed more high-strung than he usually had been, and he was also quieter and somber in his mannerisms.

It was making Izuku anxious.

"So… You're not _our_ Todoroki?" Jirou asked, hand to her chin.

Todoroki shook his head, almost sadly. "No."

"And there are other worlds?" Kendo asked.

"Apparently," Todoroki said with a sigh.

Izuku winced as Todoroki's sentences started to shorten to one-word, clipped responses. Todoroki was looking more and more exhausted. He wondered if the pain medicine was wearing off.

"And Mori," a man stepped up—Aizawa, if Izuku heard correctly—with his arms folded across his chest, "who was once quirkless, can now command different quirks at will?"

Todoroki looked up at him grimly. "Yes."

Izuku glanced to Aizawa next, watching as the man narrowed his eyes and tightened his jaw.

"Well then. I suppose that will make things difficult," Aizawa said, mostly to himself. "We'll have to lay low. Gather more supplies, reinforce this building."

Todoroki snapped his head up at him, shifting in his seat.

"What?" he asked, his voice soft. "That's it?"

Aizawa looked at him, eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you mean, 'that's it?' Did you have some other plan to make this situation better?"

Todoroki swallowed. "Don't you think we should do something about this before it's too late?"

Aizawa lowered his brows over his eyes. It was almost like a taunt, daring Todoroki to keep running his mouth.

"I don't know if you grasp the idea of sound tactics very well, but just jumping in head first into a situation—especially as dangerous as this one—is foolish and naïve," Aizawa said.

Todoroki leaned forward a bit in his chair. "No, you don't understand," he said desperately. "We have to stop Mori _now_ before he comes here and destroys everyone and everything."

"I understand the severity of the situation, Todoroki," Aizawa said.

"Do you?" Todoroki asked, his hands curling into fists. Izuku blinked at him, eyes wide and chest fluttering. He hadn't seen Todoroki get this angry before. "You were once a pro hero, right?"

Aizawa's eyes widened a bit at his statement, and Izuku felt his own jaw slacken. This man used to be a hero?

"So if you know this, then why aren't you doing everything in your power to stop him right now?" Todoroki asked. He leaned forward more and started to push himself up. Izuku reached out to him to get him to stop, but Todoroki swatted his hand away. "Why don't you want to help everyone? Isn't this what being a hero is? Protecting others from harm?!"

His chest was heaving by the time he was done, and once he spat out his last word, he hunched forward and grabbed his side. A pained gasp left his mouth and he started to wobble forward.

"Todoroki!" Izuku called as he rushed to get to him. He caught Todoroki by his shoulders before his knees could buckle. "Hey, are you all right?"

Todoroki hissed and gazed up at Izuku with squinted eyes. "Y-Yeah, 's just…"

He gripped his side again and let out a pained grunt, and Izuku wrapped an arm around his waist to hold up his weight.

"You're hurting again," Izuku said softly.

"I can h-handle it."

"You're shaking."

"Nothing I… haven't dealt with before."

Izuku sighed, long and tired. "You're so stubborn."

Todoroki let out a soft chuckle, but it was barely genuine. "You're one to talk."

Izuku pouted. "Hey!"

"Enough."

Izuku flinched at the sound of Aizawa's voice ringing in the room. He turned around to face him, still holding Todoroki up. Todoroki didn't straighten his back, but he did manage to look at Aizawa.

Aizawa folded his arms across his chest and sighed.

"I never said we would do nothing," Aizawa said, looking at Todoroki. He gestured to his slacken posture. "This is exactly why we shouldn't act right away. Too many of the people here are either injured or exhausted. There's no way we could fight in our condition."

Todoroki's lips parted slightly. "Fight?"

Aizawa blinked once. "Of course," he said. "You really think I'm going to just stand by while he wipes out the entire city? Or country? You must be dumber than you look."

Todoroki snapped his mouth closed and winced, hanging his head. Izuku stared at him with a worried expression, his hand tightening around his waist.

"I am fully prepared to stop him, but none of us are in any way ready. Especially you," Aizawa said, gesturing towards Todoroki's broken body.

Todoroki lifted his head slightly and glared weakly, but it didn't seem to be directed at Aizawa. If anything, he seemed frustrated with himself.

"Once everyone is at full health, we will act. In the meantime, we will come up with a plan of action," Aizawa said. "I've got some contacts that I can find to help us out."

Izuku let out a breath of relief, his shoulders sagging a bit. He glanced to Todoroki, wondering if he also felt this relief, but his heart lurched at the sight. Todoroki's eyes struggled to stay open as he stared at Aizawa, and his body wobbled side to side.

"But I just…" Todoroki started to speak, his voice breathless, "I just… want to… want to…"

Suddenly, Todoroki slumped against Izuku, allowing all of his weight to rest on his shoulder.

"T-Todoroki!" Izuku gasped, holding him up.

Todoroki's head lolled into Izuku's neck, just as it did the day before when they escaped the horrible prison, and Izuku could feel Todoroki's hot forehead pressing against his skin.

"Todoroki?" Izuku called, lifting a hand and feeling his head. It was burning hot on both sides of his face. He glanced up at the people surrounding him, his face stricken as panic started to cloud his judgment. "H-He's burning up!"

Aizawa was by his side in an instant, his hand coming up to touch Todoroki's right cheek. Izuku noticed it was his cool side, but Aizawa still furrowed his brows.

"Fever. Probably from all of his wounds," Aizawa said. "Take him back to the infirmary. He probably shouldn't have been out this long."

Izuku nodded, his lip caught in between his teeth, and he carefully scooped Todoroki up in his arms just like before. He hurried out of the library, his mind reeling with every negative outcome that he could think of.

What if Todoroki was really sick? What if his wounds had festered? What if it gets worse?

What if he dies?

Izuku's breaths came in shallower as he hurried back down the hallway.

All he could see in his mind was Todoroki's head as it whipped to the side from the sheer force of the bullet that impacted his skull.

He remembered the sickening slap of his body hitting the cold pavement.

He remembered the blood that had pooled around his body when he went back for him, and the agonizing cry that ripped through his throat when he tried to shake him awake.

He remembered the moment he knew his friend was gone.

Izuku bit his tongue to hold back the sobs that threatened to choke him, and he sniffed when his eyes filled with stinging tears.

Focus, he told himself. He wouldn't let Todoroki die. Not again.

He burst into the infirmary, startling the short, old woman that was sitting at a desk. She glanced up at him and hurried over.

"H-He—" Izuku swallowed down the lump in his throat. "He's got a fever."

"Oh, my," she said, feeling Todoroki's face. "You're right about that. Well, get him to a bed. I'll look after him."

Izuku followed her to a bed and rested Todoroki down gently, making sure he looked comfortable enough on the old mattress.

"Nothing to worry about, dear," she said as she rounded Todoroki's bed. "His body is fighting a lot of wounds that still need to heal."

Izuku blinked at her, eyes wide. "Are you sure he doesn't have an i-infection or something? What if it's—"

"Now, now, stop your fretting," she said. "He simply needs a lot of rest. And _time."_

He knew that. He knew that wounds took time to heal, and he knew that Todoroki was probably going to be okay.

So why was he feeling so anxious?

"Why don't you make yourself familiar with the rest of the building? You'll do no good sitting in here worrying," she said, pulling out a cooling pad and resting it on Todoroki's forehead. She motioned with her hands for him to leave. "Go on. He'll be fine."

Izuku couldn't hold back a grimace, but he nodded and, albeit reluctantly, shuffled towards the door to the infirmary. He glanced back once more before he pulled the door open and stepped outside, closing his eyes and breathing out a tight sigh.

When he opened his eyes again, he blinked at the familiar figure leaning against the wall next to the door.

"Kacchan?" Izuku asked.

Kacchan was looking at him seriously, arms folded across his chest. There wasn't a trace of mockery or agitation in his body or expression—only a bit of sadness and understanding.

"Let's talk."

* * *

Before he knew it, Izuku found himself sitting numbly in the center courtyard of the school property, watching a few ants crawl around the tall blades of grass.

The sun was starting to set, but Izuku could only tell by the sharp, orange hues that hung in the sky. The school's walls were too tall to see anything else—not even the city skyline was visible.

He sighed and slumped on the cool, stone bench, trying to distract his mind from anything pertaining to Todoroki. Miss Shuuzenji even said that he would be fine, so why should he even worry? There was nothing to worry about.

Right?

Soon enough, his thoughts were interrupted by a door flinging open, and Izuku whipped his head around to see Kacchan making his way over with two apples in one hand and a small paring knife in the other. Izuku blinked at him as he sat down on the bench, not offering either apple to Izuku.

"Apples?" Izuku asked.

Kacchan's brows furrowed. "What kind of question is that? Are you blind?"

Izuku sighed and rolled his eyes. "Not _that_. I mean… where did you get those?"

Kacchan placed one apple on his lap and picked up the other, using the knife to expertly peel it within seconds.

"Kitchen," was his answer.

"They have fresh fruit there?" Izuku asked.

"Yeah. What of it?" Kacchan asked, starting to cut the apple into slices.

Izuku tapped his jaw. "I just wonder where they got it from. I know there must be some apple supplies in the government cargo facilities, but they would've had to search everywhere, and what about transport? It wouldn't be logical to—"

His sentence was cut off when Kacchan shoved an apple slice into his mouth. Izuku practically choked, but it was worth it.

The apple tasted like _heaven._

"Maybe you should stop trying to think so much and look around, moron," Kacchan said, shoving a slice into his mouth as well.

Izuku blinked at him and swallowed, his eyes scanning the courtyard of the school. His eyes widened when he saw a tree in the corner, red apples hanging in the higher branches.

Kacchan plopped another slice into his mouth and then handed one over to Izuku without a word—not even a degrading "I told you so," which Izuku wasn't sure if he was thankful for or uneasy about.

Izuku took the slice, feeling a bit red in the cheeks from embarrassment. Of course he always resorted to opening his mouth first in a panic.

"So," Kacchan started, fairly casually. "Want to tell me why you're acting like a freakin' lunatic?"

Izuku paused in his chewing, eyes wide as he glanced over to his friend, who stared back with mild annoyance in his eyes. He forced down the half-eaten apple, wincing as sharper edges poked his throat, and then he looked down at his lap sadly.

Kacchan paused in his slicing, sending him a harsh glare.

"Well?!" he asked, getting impatient.

"H-Huh?!" Izuku squeaked, fidgeting in his seat. "I… I don't know what you're talking about."

Kacchan rolled his eyes. "Then how do you explain your freakouts? You panic at every turn and have mood swings like a freakin' teenage girl!"

Izuku frowned at him. "I do _not_—"

"And now you're babying the Clone!" Kacchan said.

"Babying?"

"Hovering, attached at the hip, whatever the hell you want to call it," Kacchan said flippantly, angrily popping another apple slice in his mouth. "What the hell is up with that, huh?!"

Izuku's hands curled into fists in his lap. "We're not attached at the hip."

"And what about you just jumping off the deep end and running head first into danger?" Kacchan said, and Izuku could feel his eyes sting with tears. "You used to be level-headed about these things!"

Izuku's throat started to close up, limbs shaking. He didn't want to talk about this. He never wanted to talk about this ever again, especially with Kacchan. Even though Kacchan had been there through his darkest moments, he never spoke about it with him. He just used all of his negative emotions towards doing patrols, beating up cops, and stealing food.

He never wanted to _talk_. Talking meant making all of those emotions real.

But Kacchan was pushing him near the edge.

"You're acting like the same brooding idiot you used to be! Keeping all this pent-up shit to yourself," Kacchan said, frustrated.

Izuku felt his patience snap.

"You're acting as if you _want _to get your ass kille—"

"I can't get it out of my head!"

Kacchan snapped his mouth shut at Izuku's outburst, reeling back with eyes wide.

Izuku's entire body shook—with either rage or pain, he wasn't sure which—and he hugged himself, trying to block out those images.

But he found that he couldn't.

"I was doing _better._ I was supposed to be _healing,_ but—"

Izuku took in a shuddering breath, his hands squeezing his arms so tightly that the blood nearly cut off. He tried to regulate his breathing to gather his thoughts so he could continue.

"E-Ever since this… other version of Todoroki just appeared into this word, I…" Izuku's breath shook. "…All… All I can think about is… how our Todoroki died."

Kacchan was eerily quiet—probably too shell-shocked to say a word.

Izuku continued after a few harsh breaths.

"I j-just see him, dying over and over again. In my dreams, whenever I close my eyes, when I… whenever I look at him, I…" Izuku felt tears spill over, and he hugged his body tighter, hunching over and making himself small. "I'm terrified that I'm going to be the reason this Todoroki dies, too."

Kacchan let out a choked sound. "What the hell? You're not still blaming—"

"Of course I am!" Izuku yelled, leaning up to look at his friend. "Who else is to blame for him getting arrested? Getting shot?"

Kacchan's face twisted into a combination of a glare and a grimace. "Now you know that wasn't your fault."

"Then whose was it?!"

Izuku could feel himself start to spiral, all of these emotions starting to flood from within—feelings that he had been holding back for years ever since Todoroki's death. But the dam had already cracked wide open, and the floodwaters could no longer be held back.

"There's no one else to blame for all of it! I'm the one that got him hurt! He pulled me out of the way and took the bullet!" Izuku yelled. He squeezed his eyes shut and dug his nails into his palms. "It wasn't supposed to be him! It was supposed to be _me!"_

Suddenly, two hands gripped the collar of his shirt and yanked him up off of the ground.

Izuku gasped, his wet eyes snapping open to see Kacchan glaring down at him with a vicious look on his face.

"Don't you _dare_ ever say that shit to me again," Kacchan threatened, "or I swear, I will _kill_ you myself."

Izuku blinked at him, tears still falling down his cheeks. "K-Kacchan?"

Izuku reached up to grab Kacchan's hands to try to get him to let go, but Kacchan's hands had a firm grip on him.

"You really think his death was _your_ fault?" Kacchan asked. "How self-centered can you be, you moron?!"

He glanced down at Izuku, his glare falling slightly.

"Sure, Todoroki's death was awful and unfair. And you were a hell of a lot closer to the bastard than I was," Kacchan said. "But I'll be damned if any of it was your fault."

Izuku sniffled loudly, his voice catching in his throat as he choked out Kacchan's name.

"Don't you think Todoroki would agree with me?" Kacchan asked.

Izuku hesitated, barely breathing. "W-What?"

"If Todoroki, the Todoroki from our world, was _here_," Kacchan emphasized, shaking Izuku slightly, "don't you think he would agree with me?"

Izuku felt his heart crumbling. He could see Todoroki's usually stoic face turned into a small smile as his bloodied lips muttered a soft, "I'm sorry" before he was so dishonorably shot in the head. If anything, Todoroki probably blamed himself.

Maybe Todoroki knew Izuku would take his death hard. Maybe that's what his stupid apology was for that night.

Izuku wished he could ask him for sure.

But… he will never know now.

"Yes," Izuku whimpered, letting his head hang. "He would a-agree with you, Kacchan."

Kacchan remained still and quiet, his hands loosening on his collar. Izuku slumped a bit, letting his head rest on Kacchan's chest. Kacchan released his collar and dropped his hands by his sides.

"He could never blame m-me for what happened… and if h-he were here, he would scold me for ever blaming myself," Izuku said.

He took in a deep breath, vision blurring as his eyes filled with more tears. They overflowed quickly and fell to the grass beneath their feet.

"But I can't bear this… this _guilt_ I feel," Izuku said, crying out a painful sob. "I don't want to keep thinking about it, but it _hurts_, Kacchan. Everything _hurts—_"

Suddenly, Kacchan hauled Izuku forward, wrapping him up in a crushing hug. Izuku grew still, too stunned to move. His lungs still shuddered with sobs but the rest of him went still as stone against Kacchan's chest.

"I _know_ that, dumbass," Kacchan said. "I know."

Izuku sniffed, feeling his heart clench in his chest. It ached, and the pain was almost too great for him to handle.

"Kacchan, I—"

"But that doesn't mean you have to do this by yourself," Kacchan said, his voice gruff yet soft. "I know I'm… the worst at this, but," Kacchan paused to take a quick breath, "I can help."

Izuku hiccupped once. Twice.

And then he let himself fall apart.

"Damn it," Izuku whispered through tears.

He buried his face into Kacchan's chest and gripped the front of his shirt. Kacchan, with tentative hands, patted his back and sighed. He allowed Izuku to cry and wail as much as he needed to, which was a lot more than Izuku had originally thought.

After a while, Izuku's cries reduced to soft sniffles and slight hiccups.

"Oi, don't ruin my shirt, moron!" Kacchan said when Izuku sniffed harshly.

Izuku chuckled wetly and wiped his face, letting his forehead rest against Kacchan's shoulder.

"Yeah. Thanks, Kacchan," Izuku said, sniffling again.

Kacchan rolled his eyes and lightly shoved him away.

"What the hell did I say about my shirt?!"

* * *

After Izuku had calmed down and they had both gotten something else to eat to fill their empty bellies, Izuku and Kacchan and headed back down to the infirmary to check on Todoroki. It had been a good while since his collapse, so he had to have been at least a little recovered by now. Kacchan reluctantly followed, casual frown on his face

As they got closer to the infirmary, they could hear distressed voices coming from inside. The calm sea that Kacchan helped to create in Izuku's chest vanished in an instant and he ran the rest of the way to the infirmary, bursting through the doors. Kacchan was quick to follow, stopping in the doorway behind Izuku.

In front of them stood Aizawa and Miss Shuuzenji, both fussing over Todoroki's bed. The boy in question was quivering and Izuku could see blood smeared on his face.

"Todoroki!" Izuku called in horror, rushing to his side.

Upon closer inspection, Izuku could see that the blood on Todoroki's face was coming from his nose.

A nosebleed? Izuku thought. Hasn't this happened before?

"What's going on?" Izuku asked, looking between Aizawa and Miss Shuuzenji.

Miss Shuuzenji gathered up some towels and shook her head.

"He was sleeping calmly for a while, but a few minutes ago, his fever spiked and his nose started bleeding," she explained. She hopped up on a chair next to Todoroki's bedside. "Here, help me get him on his side."

Izuku nodded and hurried to pull Todoroki's shoulder up from the bed, having him lay on his uninjured side. The blood immediately started to drain down his face and onto the sheets below. Kacchan scoffed and reached forward to hold Todoroki's knees.

Miss Shuuzenji placed towels on the pillow underneath Todoroki's cheek to catch the blood. She tutted, putting a hand to her chin.

"Well, this should help prevent him from choking on his blood," she said. "But I don't know what's causing the convulsions."

Kacchan scoffed. "He's done this weird shit before."

Aizawa and Miss Shuuzenji snapped their gazes towards him, eyes wide.

"He has?" Miss Shuuzenji asked.

Izuku nodded. "He was talking to us one moment and then his nose started bleeding. He passed out soon afterward."

"I see," Miss Shuuzenji said, scratching her chin. "Does he have an ailment that we were not aware of?"

Izuku paused, putting a hand to his chin while his other hand stayed on Todoroki's hip.

"Maybe it has to do with his existence in this world," Izuku said softly.

"He said he was hit by a quirk in his world, right?" Aizawa spoke up, his arms folded across his chest.

Izuku glanced up at him. "Right. A villain in his world sent him here, he thinks."

Aizawa's brows furrowed slightly as he looked down at Todoroki's shaking form.

"Then perhaps the quirk is starting to wear off," Aizawa said.

Izuku's eyes widened. "Wear off?"

"What're you saying here, Night Stalker?" Kacchan quipped.

Aizawa's eye twitched. "I'm _saying_ that he might not have much time left here."

Izuku's jaw dropped slightly, brows upturning sadly.

Not much time left? Did that mean that Todoroki was going to disappear from this world soon?

And he would never see Todoroki ever again?

Izuku frowned, his hand gripping Todoroki's shoulder. He didn't want that. He didn't want Todoroki to disappear from his life again. It was too painful the first time.

He didn't think he could bear it a second time.

"I-Izuku?"

Izuku jumped at hearing his name coming from Todoroki's mouth. When he glanced down at him he was met with hooded eyes and a glazed over expression.

"Todoroki," Izuku said, so soft that no one could hear.

"Izuku… did you get her?" Todoroki asked.

Izuku blinked at him. "What?"

"The… villain. Did you… capture her?" Todoroki wheezed. He turned his head up to Aizawa. "Aizawa-sensei… you're here, too."

Aizawa quirked a brow, staying silent, but Kacchan vocalized a loud, "Sensei?!"

Izuku gently laid Todoroki on his back, adjusting the pillow and towels away from his face. Luckily his nose stopped bleeding, but his eyes were still glazed with confusion. It was obvious Todoroki didn't quite know where he was.

"A-Are we in the hospital? Did you get injured?" Todoroki asked, reaching up to weakly grab onto Izuku's arm. "I-Izuku… why aren't you saying anything?"

Izuku felt his heart wrench like a wet rag. It was almost too painful to see him so lost. Was this it? Was he fading back into his world? How would this even work, anyway?

"Todoroki…" Izuku started, tugging off Todoroki's hand and laying it on the bed. "You're at the school. You were arrested, remember?"

Todorok's face twisted slightly and cocked his head. His movements sluggish as he glanced around the room.

"Arrested?" Todoroki mumbled.

"He's lost it," Kacchan said, folding his arms across his chest. "Poor Clone Bastard's brain-dead."

"_Kacchan,"_ Izuku scolded.

"Clone…" Todoroki muttered, lifting a hand to touch his face. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and then glanced around, his hand rubbing his cheek. He locked eyes with Izuku, and as if the light had turned on, clarity shined on his face. "Oh. This… This is the school. The… other world."

Izuku let out a sigh of relief and hung his head. Okay, so maybe it wasn't quite time.

He hadn't realized how attached he had gotten.

The very thought was frightening.

"Right," Izuku said. "We're still at the school. Do you remember what happened?"

Todoroki looked around the room again, squeezed his eyes shut, and then sighed.

"Mori," he answered.

There. Izuku could finally relax.

"He was probably confusing the two worlds together," Aizawa said. He glanced to Todoroki, eyeing him carefully. "Has that happened before?"

Todoroki still looked a little out of it but he seemed like he understood his question. He cleared his throat softly and gave a curt nod.

"Yes," he answered.

"I see. Well, we will keep an eye on that," Miss Shuuzenji said. "But for now, just rest. You still have a nasty fever."

"Another fever?" Todoroki said, almost in a complaining tone. He sighed and rubbed his face. "I've never had so many fevers in all my life."

Izuku smiled softly at the return to somewhat normalcy. He kept his hand on Todoroki's shoulder to make sure he could still feel his warmth. If he were to disappear now, he would try everything in his power to snatch him back.

Kacchan huffed out an annoyed breath and craned his head towards the door of the infirmary.

"Well, the Clone is fine. So I'm outta here," he said.

Izuku waved him off, and even Todoroki lifted a hand to wave weakly at him as he walked out, the blonde gently shutting the door behind him.

Aizawa also took in a deep breath and nodded to Todoroki.

"I'll see if I can get in contact with more friends of mine so we can formulate a plan," Aizawa said. He put a hand on Todoroki's shoulder, squeezing gently. "Don't worry. We'll nail this guy."

Todoroki paused, his lip twitching, and he nodded. "Thank you."

Aizawa nodded in response. "Get some rest, kid."

He took his hand from Todoroki's shoulder and headed out of the infirmary, also closing the door behind him softly.

Once the room fell into relative silence, Miss Shuuzenji smiled and patted Todoroki's arm.

"I'll be back in a little bit to check on you," she said. She looked to Izuku next. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me, dear."

"Thank you, ma'am," Izuku said, bowing his head a little to her. He watched her leave and then released another breath, turning his gaze back down to Todoroki. "You okay?"

Todoroki blinked a few times and then tilted his head. "I feel like… I should be asking you that."

Izuku quirked a brow. "What are you talking about?"

Todoroki lifted a shaking hand towards his face. "Your eyes," he said. "They're red. Have you been crying?"

Izuku lightly pressed against the swollen skin underneath his green eyes and winced at the small pressure. He must've burst a blood vessel from crying so hard.

"Ah. It's… It's nothing," Izuku said. "Just talking with Kacchan."

Todoroki's brows fell in slight annoyance. "What did he do?"

Izuku waved his hand, smiling nervously. "No, no. He didn't do anything to me, I promise."

Todoroki looked unconvinced but the crease in between his brows smoothed out, and he let the topic go. He shifted in the bed, putting his hands firmly by his sides as he tried to push himself up.

"Ah!" Izuku moved to help him, putting pillows behind his back. "You really should—"

"Rest?" Todoroki interrupted with a light chuckle. "That's all I've been doing."

Izuku didn't say anything. Instead, he moved to sit in the chair next to Todoroki's bed. He sighed and slumped his shoulders, feeling the exhaustion start to take over.

"If anything, you look like _you_ could use the rest," Todoroki said, resting his head against the fluffy pillow behind him.

"Do I look that bad?" Izuku asked with a small grin.

"Yes."

"Gee, thanks."

Todoroki smiled. It was small, but it was there. After all he had been through in the past day or so, Izuku was surprised he could even make a face like that.

Although, the Todoroki from this world also smiled as he…

"Here."

Izuku blinked back into focus as Todoroki shifted on his bed. He patted the space next to him, and Izuku felt himself flush.

"Th-There are other beds I could use," Izuku insisted.

"I'm cold," Todoroki excused.

"You have a fire quirk."

Todoroki shrugged, and Izuku sighed. The bed was super tempting, and he could feel his body shutting down at just the thought of letting his eyes close for a while.

"Fine," Izuku relented, standing to his feet. "But only for a little while."

Todoroki said nothing as Izuku climbed in next to him, their shoulders bumping together gently. Izuku rested his head back against the pillows and sighed, his body practically sinking into the cushions.

"Feeling a bit better?" Todoroki asked.

"Yeah," Izuku said with a sigh. "I didn't realize how tired I was."

"You look like a zombie."

"You're just full of compliments today," Izuku said with a smile, and Todoroki shrugged in response.

Izuku rested his hands on his stomach and stared up at the ceiling, allowing the adrenaline from earlier to finally drain from his system. They were quiet for a moment, just taking in the stillness of the empty room, and that's when it finally hit him.

They had succeeded in their rescue mission. They had come out of the prison alive. Battered and bruised, but _alive_. And all of their friends were returned to them, safe and sound.

Izuku sighed heavily at the thought. It was the first time in months that he felt so at peace. Even though Mori was probably now angry beyond measure, his body could finally _rest_.

"Can you tell me why were you crying?" Todoroki asked.

Izuku opened his eyes, not even realizing when he had shut them, and turned his head towards him.

"That obvious?" he asked.

Todoroki paused, his eyes also getting tired. "Not really, just…" He took a deep breath. "Izuku—the one from my world—cries all the time. So I know what it looks like on his face."

Izuku scratched his cheek, feeling them burn with embarrassment. So even in other worlds, he was a giant crybaby? How mortifying.

"I can't help it sometimes," Izuku said. "I've tried not to cry so much in front of others. I know it can be annoying."

"It's not a bad thing. People are allowed to cry," Todoroki said. "I've told him that multiple times now. I guess it would only be right to tell you the same."

Izuku cracked a small smile and shifted a little closer, allowing his head to loll against Todoroki's shoulder.

"So… why were you crying?" Todoroki asked again.

"You're not going to drop it, are you?"

"No," Todoroki said.

Izuku hesitated, sighing softly. He gathered up his thoughts and bit his lip, staring up at the ceiling.

"Say," Izuku started, his voice calm. "Can I tell you about the Todoroki from my world?"


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

* * *

Shouto awoke slowly and groggily. When his eyes finally managed to flutter open, he was met with the same white ceiling as before.

Right. The school. The infirmary. The memories. _Mori._

While his body still felt incredibly heavy, his mind was crystal clear. It was as if the night's rest allowed his wires to realign and fuse back together. He was thankful that he could think more rationally now. With his outburst back in the library, he was sure that everyone thought he was a lunatic.

Shouto moved to stretch, wanting to see if any of his wounds still ached, but his right arm remained pinned under a strange weight. He tilted his head to see a mop of green hair in his vision as well as soft snores that tickled his ears.

Ah, Shouto thought. Izuku was asleep.

It was the first time he had seen the boy rest in all his days that he was stuck in this world. He was sure Izuku _did_ sleep but Shouto had yet to see it. It made a knot in Shouto's chest unravel, allowing his lungs to breathe more openly. He hadn't even realized how uptight he had been about Izuku's wellbeing. Not until now, anyway.

Shouto wasn't surprised that Izuku was so tired, though. Izuku stayed up late the night before, relaying every little detail about "his Todoroki" that he could remember and then comparing them to Shouto.

_"He was very similar to you, Todoroki, but I think he was a little more… cheerful."_

_Shouto quirked a brow. "More cheerful?"_

_Izuku hesitated, hand rubbing the bullet scar on his cheek. His smile was still on his face even if he looked a bit skittish._

_"Well, I… I guess he didn't seem as serious as you, and I guess that made him smile more often than you usually do," Izuku said. "You tend to look at things a lot more rationally and stern than Todoroki did."_

_Shouto pursed his lips and glanced away, fighting a frown. He knew how to be cheerful. He could smile if he wanted to. _

_He just… didn't have much to smile about._

_"He also had longer hair," Izuku said, quickly changing the subject._

_"Longer hair?" Shouto asked, looking back at Izuku. "How long?"_

_"Mm," Izuku hummed, thinking for a moment. "The longest I saw it was to his shoulders. He would pull it back sometimes and it made him look like a warrior! It was pretty cool, actually."_

_Shouto pursed his lips again and reached up to tug on the red and white strands that hung near his eyes, pondering the idea. He wondered if his Izuku would think the same._

_"N-Not that your hair isn't cool, Todoroki!" Izuku called. "I like how yours is shorter in the back and a little longer on top. It's very sleek and professional. Very fitting for a hero."_

_Shouto tried to smile at the lackluster compliment, his hand still fiddling with his bangs. He did like his hair shorter, even if it was Endeavor's idea. It wasn't as in his face as before, enabling him to use combat more efficiently. Especially since his left eye wasn't so great._

_"Todoroki wasn't as skilled at his quirk, but he was always defending us whenever we got in trouble," Izuku continued. "And since he wasn't great with his quirk, he didn't train as often. It made him a bit scrawny, I think."_

_"Scrawny, huh?" Shouto asked. He huffed a small, self-deprecating laugh. "Well, he probably wasn't forced to train from a young age."_

_Izuku's smile faded, his brows furrowing. "Were you forced to train?"_

_Shouto hesitated, wondering if he should even get into this, but then he nodded solemnly. _

_"Since my quirk manifested."_

_Izuku was quiet for a moment, his eyes drifting over to Shouto's left eye. Shouto caught the movement and reached up to touch the scar on his face, suddenly feeling self-conscious. _

_"Who… trained you?" Izuku asked. _

_Shouto paused, thinking back to his childhood suddenly. Every so often, his father's voice would sneak into his mind and remind him of his insecurities that he'd never told anyone before. _

_He would prefer it if it stayed that way._

_"My father," Shouto said._

_"Oh," Izuku said. "Is your father a hero?"_

_Shouto thought of the day his father became the number one hero. He knew that things in this world were different, and heroes were basically nonexistent. But he wondered if before everything collapsed, there was some semblance of normalcy in this world._

_Shouto decided to risk it._

_"Have you heard of the hero called Endeavor?"_

_"Your father is Endeavor?!"_

_Shouto winced at the volume of Izuku's voice, but he nodded quietly. He internally begged Izuku not to ask any further questions. He was surprised that his Izuku resisted asking so many questions when he found out about his father._

_But instead of bombarding him with a million questions, Izuku stayed silent with a curious look on his face._

_"I see," Izuku said. "That's… Todoroki never spoke about his family, so…" _

_Shouto let out a breath, thankful for his other self's discretion. Or ignorance, he supposes. _

_He could still feel Izuku staring at him thoughtfully, an unsure look on his face. It was almost suffocating, leaving a strange feeling residing in Shouto's stomach. It was familiar, reminding him of the times when he felt the most lonely in his life. He had gotten better by now, but those feelings still lingered. _

_He had to push these thoughts and feelings aside before they completely consumed him._

_"So… What did he like to do for fun?" Shouto asked, tilting his head down at Izuku._

_Izuku paused for a moment but it soon gave way to a soft smile. _

_"Well, he really liked to read manga!"_

Shouto shook his head fondly, a smile on his lips. At least he still has similar tastes in other worlds.

Izuku let out a soft snore, pulling Shouto from his thoughts. He glanced over to his friend and sighed softly. They really stayed up way too late, didn't they?

Shouto took a deep breath and rested his head against the pillows, allowing Izuku to rest for just a few more moments. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting his chest rise and fall slowly. He could take just a few more minutes to rest, he supposed.

His mind began to drift as he relaxed, his thoughts going back to home. To UA, to the dorms, to Izuku and the rest of the class. He wondered what they were up to, or if they were still taking classes and continuing with their lives.

Huh, Shouto thought, his heart squeezing a bit. Would his classmates even be worried?

Shouto huffed out a breath and shook his head. No need to think those thoughts. Keep them at bay. Don't get sucked into the recesses of the mind.

He sighed, trying to get his mind to think of other things. His dorm room, home, anything. When he got back, he could focus on becoming the pro hero he always wanted to be. Even if his father…

His lips twisted. His father. Was his father even concerned that he's vanished into a different world?

Heh. He was probably already trying to replace him.

His father was always so ambitious and—

_A man chained to a wall, face splattered with blood, and muscles atrophied. _

_"So you _do_ recognize him, then? Fascinating. I took this picture of him yesterday. Still hasn't died on me, yet."_

_"As you saw, your father and I didn't exactly get along."_

Shouto's body shuddered.

Mori. They had to stop Mori.

They had to leave before—

_"Well, are you going to tell me who you really are, yet? Or should I try to encourage you more?"_

_Slashes on his skin… Burns and cuts…_

"No," came a pained whisper from Shouto's lips.

He couldn't stay on that infirmary bed. He had to _act._

He needed to go before Mori completely destroyed what was left of this country. Or even worse.

What would happen if they just let it—

_"I wonder… Who really is useless to society now?"_

Shouto gasped and opened his eyes wide, staring up at the ceiling. His heart was hammering so fast inside his chest that he thought he was going to be sick. He took a few deep breaths to get his heart under control, but he found that his body struggled to cooperate.

"Mm… Todoroki?"

Shouto flinched at the voice next to his ear and stiffened, closing his mouth and breathing through his nose. Just breathe, he told himself. Relax. Relax.

Izuku sat up slowly, his hand rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, and then he blinked at Shouto. He gave him a small smile at first and then his eyes scanned over him.

"Hey, you okay?" Izuku asked, brows pinching.

Shouto swallowed, pushing the horrifying thoughts out of his head, and then he nodded.

"Yeah. I just woke up," Shouto said.

Izuku hesitated for a moment, and Shouto held his breath. He knew Izuku could see the beads of sweat that formed on his skin, but he didn't dare want to discuss the horrible images that were still engrained on his brain.

"If you're sure," Izuku mumbled. He sat up and stretched, sighing softly. "Wow, I must've been really tired."

Shouto sat up as well, his body not nearly as sore as it had been. He felt more like himself than he had in days.

"You were snoring," Shouto mentioned.

"Huh?!" Izuku squeaked. "I don't snore!"

"Yes, you do."

Izuku's face reddened and he quickly averted his eyes. "Well, it was probably because I was really tired," he excused softly.

Shouto smiled softly as he stretched his arms and fingers, testing their dexterity. Izuku watched him with soft eyes.

"How're you feeling?" Izuku asked.

Shouto curled his hands into fists and nodded. "Good. Better."

Izuku smiled, and it reached his eyes. "Good. We were worried you weren't going to make it."

Shouto rolled his eyes playfully. "No need to be so dramatic."

"D-Dramatic?!"

Shouto was about to come up with a long list of explanations on exactly how Izuku could be _so_ dramatic, when suddenly, the door to the infirmary slid open.

When Shouto turned his head towards the door he was met with a slightly disheveled Iida, his eyes a little wide.

"Ah, Todoroki! You're awake!" he said, rushing over to their side.

"Iida," Shouto greeted in surprise. "What's going on?"

"Yeah, you look a little… stressed," Izuku pointed out.

Iida reached up and tried to fix his hair but it only fell back into disarray. He gave a small smile and adjusted his new glasses over his nose. They must've been too big for him.

"Yes, well… I suppose I'm a little jittery. We just had some extra people come into the base," Iida said.

Shouto's brows creased, and he could feel Izuku tense next to him.

"Who's here?" Izuku asked, voice a little hard.

Iida raised his hands and shook them. "No, no! Don't misunderstand! They're guests invited by Aizawa-san."

Shouto blinked at him, his face slackening. "Aizawa invited them?"

"Yes. They're in the library, actually…" Iida answered.

"Who are they?" Izuku asked.

Iida straightened his back, looking a little giddy.

"Ah, you see… Well, they're…" Iida stopped putting a hand to his chin, giving him a small smile. "Perhaps you should just come down and see for yourself."

* * *

Once Shouto changed into some clean clothes, he followed Iida and Izuku back down the hallway towards the library. Iida seemed giddy, chatting away with Izuku. Something good must've happened for Iida to look so crazed.

As they walked, Shouto took in the different surroundings and rooms. When he had first come here, he was so out of it that he had no idea what kind of place it was. But now that he was looking more closely, he could see how organized this other group had been.

From what Izuku had told him last night, this group has been in hiding for years. The police haven't bothered to look in a run-down school building, especially since the outside looked ratty and disheveled. They had been doing well for themselves, and Shouto was relieved that some of his friends made it out alive.

He tried to recall all of the faces he had seen the day before when he gave his background, but his memory was a bit fuzzy. He knew Izuku was there, and Aizawa, as well. The faces from Class 3-A were also there, and he believed some of 3-B were, too.

Was Shinsou there? He vaguely remembered seeing that familiar hairstyle sticking up somewhere in the pack.

He would have to take a good look around when he got there.

As they walked into the library, Shouto could immediately see that it was full, just as the last time he had made an appearance in the room. The faces of his classmates—rather, the other versions of his classmates—had curious looks on their faces as they stared towards the center of the library.

Shouto directed his gaze towards the center tables and saw Aizawa first, his arms folded across his chest as another person slung an arm around his shoulders. Shouto's eyes followed the arm that was so haphazardly slung around Aizawa, a little in shock that the man would allow someone else to touch him so casually.

But then it hit him as he gazed upon a man with long, golden hair.

"Oh, Shouta and I go way back! We went to school together!" the blonde's familiar, _screeching_ voice said. "Back when he was such a brood!"

"Will you knock it off?" Aizawa said gruffly.

Shouto nearly tripped over himself when he saw his face.

"Present Mic?" Shouto called out.

Present Mic startled a bit and turned around, untangling himself from Aizawa's shoulders. He still had his thin facial hair but the hair on top of his head wasn't stiff like it was in the other world. Instead, it was pulled back into a long ponytail. His clothes were also a little tattered and dirty, but Shouto wasn't too bothered about it.

He was only glad to see another familiar face.

"Whoa, who's this little dude that knows my hero name?" He asked, smile wide as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Is this him, Shouta?" a female voice asked, sultry and low.

Shouto turned his head and saw a tall, well-endowed woman with black hair walking towards the tables, resting a hand on the back of a chair.

"M-Midnight-sensei?" Shouto asked.

Her devilish smile faded into something more solemn. It was even more motherly in a way.

"Sensei?" she asked, hand on her hip.

Aizawa just shrugged. "Apparently you are one of his teachers in his world, as well."

"Interesting," came another voice, and Shouto looked down to see Gran Torino standing next to the table. "So we have other versions of ourselves. And we are teachers, apparently."

"All of us?" Shouto blinked. It was Vlad King. "Even myself?"

Aizawa shrugged. "It seems that way."

Shouto watched as they continued in their banter, most of his teachers talking with light smiles on their faces. It was like a kick in the gut, seeing some of his teachers all standing in the same room.

He could understand why Iida had been so giddy earlier. This was truly an amazing sight.

"All right, all right, let's just calm down for a moment."

Shouto felt a tiny hand on the back of his knees, making him flinch slightly, and he moved out of the way for none other than Nezu.

He hurried up to the table and hopped on top, putting his paws behind his back and giving a friendly smile.

It made Shouto feel immense relief. Some things, no matter what universe, never seem to change.

"I know we all have questions and concerns, but it seems we have some more pressing matters to address," Nezu said. His eyes narrowed a bit but his smile never left his face. "We have a man that is threatening to wipe out everything we know and then ourselves. He has the power and knowhow to destroy all of Japan and even the world, even if it may take time."

The people in the room glanced at each other, nervous looks on their faces. The teachers in the room stood straighter, even Midnight standing with her arms folded across her chest.

"For quite a number of years, many of us have lived in hiding, but that cannot continue," Nezu said. "Now, we must fight back."

There were hushed whispers that tore through the group of people, some starting to become frantic as they questioned Nezu's words.

Shouto stood firmly planted next to Izuku, feeling fairly confident about going in to stop Mori's plans. He was ready to exact his revenge on the man for all of the mental and physical torture he had put him through. And not only that, but for his miserable excuse for a father, too. Sure, Endeavor was a bastard, but he never would do citizens harm. And while Endeavor was wrong to tell Mori that he was useless, it didn't mean that it was worth killing everyone just for power.

Shouto nodded to himself, feeling ready. He glanced over at Izuku who stood next to him, about to ask his friend if he was ready for combat, but he stopped short and tilted his head.

Izuku was standing still as stone, the only things moving were his shaking fists by his sides. His eyes were wide but his brows were pinched together in distress.

He seemed almost… frightened.

Shouto blinked at him and desperately tried to remember if he'd seen that look on Izuku's face before. When he couldn't quite read the expression, he did the only thing he knew that could ease Izuku's burdens. He reached out and touched his shoulder, just barely, and it made Izuku startle and look up at him.

"Todoroki?" Izuku wondered softly, the crease between his brows fading.

Shouto didn't say anything. Instead, he squeezed Izuku's shoulder and gave him a firm nod. Izuku took a deep breath, his shoulders moving up and down, and he nodded back, seeming to understand Shouto's meaning.

Shouto turned back to Nezu and took a step forward.

"What do we need to do to prepare?" he asked, grabbing the attention of the room.

Nezu smiled. "Glad you asked," he said. "First, I want all of you to grab whatever gear you need that will assist with your quirks, such as a suit or a weapon. And if you don't have either, then experiment. Find something that will work for you."

The room was quiet as Nezu had the floor. Shouto felt a strange sense of peace even though he was talking about an upcoming war.

It was almost like being back at school. How crazy.

"Now then, while you all get ready on your own, the adults here will formulate a plan," Nezu said. He clapped his paws together. "All right, let's get to it, shall we?"

The group was hesitant at first, but they began to dissipate out of the library, all with solemn and determined looks on their faces.

Shouto and Izuku stood frozen in place, still stunned by the display. They glanced at each other, eyes wide.

"So… all of my gear is back at our old base," Izuku said.

Shouto hummed. "We'll get a group to go out together."

"Great idea," Nezu said happily, smiling at them from the table.

"Just stick together," Aizawa added.

"Yeah! Don't get arrested right before our guest of honor arrives!" Present Mic shouted, throwing an arm around Aizawa.

"Get off me, Hizashi," Aizawa murmured. He glanced to the boys and nodded towards the door. "You'll meet him soon. He should be on his way."

Shouto and Izuku blinked at them and then looked at each other as they exited the library together, both curious as to who was coming.

"Who do you think the guest of honor is?" Izuku asked.

Shouto shrugged, shaking his head.

"I have no clue."

* * *

Once Nezu had finished his speech and dismissed everyone, the large group scattered to their own designated areas to prepare.

Most of the faces of Class 3-B and 3-C worked in the cafeteria, melding together weapons and gear that could function well with people's specific quirks. Some of them even managed to scrounge up some guns that they had nabbed from police officers.

Izuku and Shouto immediately went to Iida to formulate a plan to get back to their original base, and he agreed to tag along. Kirishima and Bakugou also planned to join, empty bags on their backs.

"Are we good to go?" Izuku asked the group.

Shouto nodded and Kirishima let out a cheerful "yep!" He was surprised at how cheerful Kirishima could be, especially with all that had happened to everyone.

"Good. Now we're just waiting for Iida," Izuku said.

"Ah, then shall we get going?"

Iida also walked up to them, his face set but a smile gracing his lips.

"Got the list?" Kirishima asked him.

Iida held up a folded piece of paper in between his fingers and nodded.

"Okay," Izuku said. "Let's get going, then."

So the five of them left through a back door that was hidden from the road and hurried through the city, taking routes via alleyway or rooftop.

Along the way, they found police at every corner, all frantically searching nearby buildings for escapees.

"I bet the prez is super pissed about this," Kirishima noted quietly.

"Tch, that old bastard can eat my—"

"_Kacchan,"_ Izuku hissed, waving his hands to quiet him down.

Bakugou rolled his eyes and continued walking, but Shouto felt his heart pinch slightly.

With so many people that escaped, it would only be natural that Mori would be upset. He could imagine that man being livid and going crazy with anger and hatred.

And Shouto's face was probably still fresh in his mind.

He took in a deep breath and tried not to remember how that man's hands felt on his skin.

"All right, that's the roof of our base," Izuku said, pointing to the building just across the way. "We'll take the stairwell down and into the rooms. Grab what you can and get back to the roof before the police start looking up here."

Everyone nodded and leaped to the rooftop of their old base. Once safely across, they hurried down the stairwell and to the familiar hallways that they once had frequented for many years.

"Let's meet back in ten minutes," Izuku said.

The rest of the group nodded and then scattered, each going to their own rooms. Shouto, however, pursed his lips and stayed behind, waiting for Izuku to walk down the hall. Izuku sent him a quizzical look and Shouto shrugged in response.

"I don't have anything in my room worth grabbing," Shouto explained.

Izuku blinked for a moment and then smiled, nodding as they started their descent to his room.

"Right. I forgot that you haven't really been here that long," Izuku said.

Shouto paused. "I think it's been about a month."

"A _month?!"_

Shouto nearly jumped at Izuku's exclamation, his head shaking back and forth in disbelief.

"Wow," Izuku said softly. "It's crazy that you've been here that long. It hasn't felt that long."

"Really? It feels a lot longer to me," Shouto said.

Izuku's smile turned sad. "I can't imagine being torn from this world and thrust into another like you did. I'm sure it was scary."

Shouto huffed out a small laugh. "Well, it _was_ pretty jarring when your best friend slams you against the wall and demands to know who you are."

Izuku winced, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah… Sorry about that."

"I get it," Shouto said, putting up a hand. "All is forgiven."

Izuku shot him a kind grin as he reached for the doorknob to his bedroom and twisted it open. The door swung open, hitting the wall with a soft thud. Shouto glanced around, trying to compare it to his Izuku's dorm room, but it was nothing alike. The room was almost barren except for the sheets and pillow on the bed and a few boxes on the nearby desk.

"Ah, just give me a minute," Izuku said, heading towards the bed. He knelt down at the bed and pulled out a few things, raking his hands through.

Shouto drifted into the room and stopped at Izuku's desk, looking at the few trinkets he had sitting on top. The first thing he noticed were the stacks of notebooks, each one ratty and worn. Shouto smiled and wondered if Izuku used them for quirk study.

Another thing Shouto noticed was the small, plastic action figure sitting next to the notebooks.

"Ah," Shouto started, his hand picking up the old figure in between his fingers. "You like All Might?"

Izuku squeaked and whipped his head up from the floor, eyes wide. He scrambled up from the ground and wrung his hands.

"A-Ah! You weren't supposed to see that!" Izuku said.

Shouto blinked at him, suddenly feeling a little guilty. "Oh. Should I not have grabbed it?"

Izuku shook his head. "No! No, that's not it. It's just…" He paused, cheeks red, and then covered his eyes with his hands. "I'm 18 years old and still have _toys._ It's… embarrassing._"_

Shouto hesitated, looking down at the dirtied All Might. He was missing one of his hair pieces, and his blue costume had faded a bit. But his toothy smile was still as bright as ever.

"I don't think it's something to be ashamed of," Shouto said, handing it to Izuku for him to take. "The Izuku from my world is a huge fan of All Might, and he still has plenty of action figures and toys in his room."

Izuku peeked at Shouto in between his fingers and then slowly dropped them from his face. He gently took the toy from Shouto's hands and looked at it, his smile turning fond.

"My mom gave me this when I was little," Izuku said, his tone sad. "It's the only thing I have left of her."

Shouto's heart tugged painfully. He reached forward and pushed the toy closer to Izuku until it touched his chest.

"Then you should definitely keep it," Shouto said.

Izuku glanced up at him, eyes shimmering with unshed tears. He sniffed and wiped his eyes with his free hand, clutching the toy to his chest.

"Thanks, Todoroki," he said softly.

Shouto smiled, feeling his chest flutter with a fondness that almost made him ache. He was glad that this Izuku could finally take a moment to smile and cry and just _emote_. It was a huge change from the anger that he usually showed.

"Have you guys finished?"

Iida appeared in the doorway, a box in his hands and a smile on his face.

"Ah, Iida," Izuku greeted, wiping the tears from his face. "Yes, we're done. What did you grab?"

Izuku gestured towards the box in Iida's hands. Iida smiled and opened it up and showed them, Izuku's eyes brightening. And Shouto smirked, giving Iida a firm nod.

Inside the box were Iida's exhaust pipes.

* * *

They managed to sneak by the police unnoticed, and just in time, too. Helicopters flew overhead and made their rounds throughout the city.

With their bags full of their friends' gear, they hurried back to the school building on the other side of the city, making it back just in time for the sun to set underneath the horizon.

They came back in through the same door and hurried to the library so they could divvy up the goods to their friends—books for Momo, some wires for Kaminari, sugar for Sato—but as soon as they entered through, they heard soft voices talking near the corner.

"So you're saying that the rest of the world has no clue what's going on here in Japan?"

"No. Not a thing."

Shouto's heart did a strange leap in his chest at the voice. He recognized it anywhere.

"I'm surprised you managed to bring him here, Hisashi!"

"Well, it wasn't easy. But we managed to sneak into the country without much trouble."

Shouto's eyebrow quirked. _That_ was a voice he didn't recognize.

They rounded the corner and Izuku stuttered to a stop, making Shouto run into his back. Bakugou, in turn, ran into Shouto's back.

"Oi, what gives, Clone?!" Bakugou yelled.

Shouto rubbed his nose from where it collided with Izuku's head and then he tilted to the side to see. And his hunch was right.

Standing in front of them, in all his glory, was none other than All Might.

"Ah, and here they are!" Nezu said, waving his paw in the air.

Shouto went to move but Izuku stayed frozen, his jaw nearly hitting the floor. He pointed to the man in front of him and started his meltdown that Shouto could have easily predited.

"It—It… I-It's A-A-A—"

"Oh, for the love of…" Bakugou shoved Izuku forward. "Go greet him, dumbass."

Izuku was nearly in tears as he approached his idol, and All Might just gave his signature smile and put out his hand towards him.

"Well, hello, young man," he greeted. "I'm guessing you know who I am?"

"Y-Y-Yes, sir, All Might!" Izuku stuttered, taking his hand. He looked ready to faint when he looked at the size difference in their hands.

"Well, it's nice to meet you," All Might said. "I'm sure we have a lot to discuss here. Will you help us out with the preparations?"

"Y-Yes, sir! Of course!" Izuku squeaked. "I-I'll do what I can to help!"

All Might nodded, smile still on his face. "Very good, then!" He turned towards the man next to him, a man Shouto had never seen before. "I suppose we should get started then, Midoriya?"

Both Izuku and Shouto froze at the same time, their eyes flashing wide. They turned their heads towards the man as he walked closer to the group, a small smile on his face.

"We should. But first, some explanations," he said. He glanced to Izuku first, locking eyes with him, and then he gazed around to the rest of the group. "Nice to meet you all. My name is Midoriya Hisashi, FBI head chief of the United States."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

* * *

"How in the _hell_ could you idiots have let this happen?!"

Mori slung everything off of his desk and slung them all onto the floor, his things breaking against the wall.

His head guards and officers stood in front of his desk in his office, flinching as his valuables shattered into pieces onto the floor in a sickening crack. The head of security cleared his throat and stepped forward, his hand gripping the now retrieved badge on his hip.

"I don't know how they got in," he started. "Our security was—"

"Your security was _what?"_ Mori seethed, staring him in the eye. He reached forward with a burning hand and grabbed the man by his collar, the material beginning to singe under his fingertips. "Your _security_ was the poorest I had ever seen! I should have your _head_ for this."

Mori shoved him away, the man frantically patting down his chest to rid himself of the flames that were rapidly consuming his uniform. He huffed once they were gone but made no move to speak or engage. Instead, he darted from the room with fearful eyes.

Mori was fine with that. He had a better idea that would solve all of this mess that these so-called soldiers caused.

"Bring in Dr. Koji!" Mori yelled to the other officers standing in the room. They stood motionless for a moment, exchanging nervous glances to each other. Their hesitation just about made Mori burst into rage. "_Now!"_

His shout made them jump and they both fled the room, their footsteps loud as they ran down the hall.

Mori sighed and finally relaxed the flames on his arm. He could still feel rage coursing through his veins. He sorted through each quirk that he had in his memory, feeling them tingle on his arms as he activated them one by one. There was one missing. One that he desperately needed to continue his plan.

Since his plans were so painfully ripped from his grasp, he would have to take matters into his own hands.

After a few moments, the soldiers came back through the doorway to Mori's office, dragging with them the nation's top scientist, Dr. Koji, and shoving him into the room. He stumbled forward and glanced up at Mori with fearful eyes.

"M-Mori-san," Koji greeted. "What can I do for you?"

Mori formed his hand into a fist. "I need another quirk injection."

"Oh, I see," Koji said, scratching his chin. "Which one do you need? There are still a few that you haven't tried, yet. And I believe—"

"Give me the brainwashing one."

Koji's eyes nearly bulged. "Y-You mean the one from that small child?"

Mori thought he was going to explode. "Of course! Go get the materials ready for injection!"

Koji hesitated for a moment, wringing his hands. "But, sir, we haven't tested the stability of the quirk, yet. I don't know of its hindrances or side effects. We have to take precaution—"

Mori slammed his hand on the table, causing a small explosion to blast from his palm. The desk was left with a splintered hole in the middle.

Koji jumped back as Mori turned around to face him, nothing but hatred and anger gleaming in his eyes.

"I don't give a shit about that," Mori said lowly. "You get the materials ready or I will find better use of you elsewhere. Do you understand?"

Koji took a shuddering breath and then nodded, gesturing towards the doorway.

"It's down in the lab," he said.

Mori let out a breath and nodded, following behind him carefully with his veins till popping out of his neck. They walked down in silence to the laboratory, riding down the elevator to the basement. Along the way, Mori could see the vast damage that the intruders caused to the building, and just the sight of it made him fume.

Once they were inside the lab, Koji had Mori sit down in the chair while he rummaged through his cabinets. When he found the right equipment, he scurried back over to Mori, eyes looking fearful.

"All right. This is the brainwashing quirk sample. It should work right away, but we don't know what the side-effects are," Koji said, setting up the machine next to them.

He placed the vial containing the quirk sample into the machine and hooked the wires into the veins of Mori's forearms. After he taped them down, he gazed at Mori with a skeptical look on his face.

"Are you sure you want to do this? There's a possibility that this could overload your body," Koji warned.

Mori's patience was snapped like a taut wire.

He slammed his fist on the table, rattling the machinery and sending a few pens flying.

"Do it. _Now."_

Koji flinched and frantically started up the machine, the wires buzzing on Mori's skin. He took a deep breath and glared a hole into the wall in front of him, letting his anger start to take control.

He was done messing around.

The time for peace and mercy was over.

It was time for war.

* * *

"So… no one else knows what's going on here?" Aizawa asked him.

Izuku shifted uncomfortably, watching as this man—the one who had the exact name and face of his _father_—stood in front of them and gave every little detail that he could.

He mentioned something about "government-regulated vacations" and "neutral-zone cities" that weren't affected by the quirk ban, and something about how President Mori was skilled in the art of flattery…

But most of the information passed through one ear and straight out the other. All Izuku could focus on was the man standing in front of him.

"I see," Aizawa said, his arms folded across his chest. "This could be a problem."

"No worries," Nezu said. "We will find a good solution to all of this in due time."

"And if we run out of time?" Todoroki asked, grabbing Izuku's attention.

He glanced at his friend with worried eyes, remembering what Aizawa had said about the villain's quirk wearing off soon.

This was just too much.

"Then we will just have to make due with what we have," Nezu responded, a little coolly, as if in warning.

Todoroki seemed to understand his tone and backed down, making Izuku breathe out a sigh in relief. Nezu, in the meantime, clapped his paws together in delight at seeing All Might.

"Why don't we show you the facilities?" Nezu asked, tapping his leg.

"O-Oh, uh, sure!" All Might said. "Young Todoroki! Please accompany us!"

Todoroki blinked. "Me, sir?"

"Yes! I want to hear more about this other world that you came from," All Might said.

Todoroki hesitated, eyeing both Izuku and the FBI agent across from him. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally made a decision to move. "Sure. Of course."

"Excellent!"

The room quickly cleared out, even Bakugou and Kirishima leaving with suspicious looks on their faces.

Then, it was just Izuku and this man.

He fidgeted in place, keeping his eyes locked on the ground. The tension was so thick in the air that he felt like he could hardly breathe. He thought about just leaving, maybe hurrying to catch up with All Might and Todoroki. Or possibly even going back to his room to get his gear ready for the upcoming battle.

But for some reason, his feet remained planted on the ground.

"Wow, look at you. You're all grown up."

Izuku felt his heart flutter, and he snapped his head up to meet the man standing in front of him. Now that he finally focused on the man, he could see the similarities.

He was wearing a wide smile, and he had green eyes. His skin was a little darker, and freckles splashed across his cheeks. While his hair was black and short, it still had some slight curls that gave it some definition.

Izuku swallowed and rubbed the sweat from his palms on his pants.

"You… You remember me?" Izuku asked.

His father smiled and reached into his back pocket, tugging out his wallet. He opened it up and pulled out a small, yellowed picture and then handed it to Izuku. Izuku took it with careful hands and glanced down at the picture, his eyes widening.

It was a picture of himself and his mother, both smiling at the camera as Izuku held up his All-Might action figure.

"Your hair is different, and you lost all that cute baby fat, but you're still Izuku," his father said, smiling brightly.

Izuku's eyes filled with tears as he stared down at the picture, his limbs beginning to tremble. He sniffed quietly and stared up at him, his fingers threatening to crumple the picture in his grasp.

"Where have you been all these years?" Izuku whimpered out.

His father's smile fell, his eyes softening. "Izuku…"

"Why haven't you called?" Izuku asked.

His father sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's a little complicated, son—"

"_Don't_," Izuku rasped, tears falling from his eyes, "call me that."

His father closed his mouth and stayed still, watching Izuku carefully. He took a few careful breaths and gently took the picture back from Izuku's fingers. He glanced down at the picture fondly, his thumb moving across the picture.

"I was offered the position when you were just three years old," he started.

Izuku sniffed a little and glanced up at him, his eyebrows still furrowed. His father continued to speak with a grim look on his face.

"I was going to decline at first, but your mother encouraged me to do it," he said. He smiled fondly. "She was a tough cookie. Even through all her tears, she still sent me off with a smile.

"Anyway. I was always under surveillance, and the only contact I could make with Inko or you was through mail every few months. At first, we would write all the time. I even sent you a few gifts, like this All Might toy," he said, waving the picture in the air.

Izuku's heart jumped to his throat. So his mother didn't give him that toy? It was his _father?_

"There was one day, back when you were about five or six, that I received a certain letter from your mom. It had this picture in it," he said, eyes locked on the small photo. "But that was the last letter I got from her."

He tucked the photo back into his wallet, his frown more prominent. Izuku felt his chest ache. That was right around the time things started going south in Japan.

"I tried to reach out, send more letters… I even went against orders and called a few times, but got no response. That's when we were getting calls about suspicious activity happening here in Japan," he said. "It took _years_ for me to crawl my way to the top and convince others that something was wrong. It was only recently that I got clearance to travel back here."

He put his wallet in his back pocket and glanced down at Izuku, hands on his hips.

"That's when All Might tracked me down, carrying an encrypted message in his hands," he said with a smile. "After a few hours of decoding the thing, we were able to read the distress call from a certain tired-looking, brooding man."

Izuku managed to smile a little. Aizawa did seem to brood no matter the situation. He would probably even gripe at his own birthday party.

"Anyway," his father said, his smile turning sheepish and somewhat sad. "I tried to get back here years ago. And I tried to get in contact, but all my attempts were rejected."

His father frowned, green eyes lowering to look at the ground. It was a sad look on the man for some reason, and it made Izuku's stomach clench.

"I've failed you as a father, and I failed Inko as her husband," he said. He glanced up at Izuku, his eyes burning with a newfound purpose. "But I'm going to try to build that back up. For our family."

Izuku's eyes stung with more tears but he managed to hold them back. He watched as his father walked next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I know you're angry with me, and you may never forgive me for as long as you live," he said. "But I want you to know how truly sorry I am for leaving you to deal with this on your own." He paused, giving Izuku's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "But I'm so proud of what you've become. Your mother would be so happy to see you now."

A tear broke through the dam and slid down Izuku's cheek. He hung his head, unsure if he was feeling shame or sadness or anger. He could feel his chest aching and burning, both with the longing desire to be with his father and with utter hatred for the man. The conflicting emotions were just about to drive him insane.

"I need to catch up with the others. If… If you want to talk, Izuku, I'm always around," he said.

His father let go of his shoulder and headed out of the library, letting the door shut with a soft click.

Izuku stood alone for a moment, allowing the heavy silence to weigh on his ears. Then, his hands began to shake, and his throat closed as a sob crawled up and tried to escape. He slapped a hand over his mouth while the other hand went to clutch his chest. He fell to his knees and began to sob, the tears flowing over his hand and onto the floor.

He wished he could see his mom.

* * *

"You said the building was heavily guarded?" Aizawa asked.

Shouto nodded, pointing to the side entrances. "They have multiple security checkpoints on each entrance. We managed to sneak through the front because Hagakure is invisible."

The familiar faces of his teachers stood around the table, a carefully designed outline of the prison laid out in front of them. It was all crafted together from everyone's memory, but the little details were all from Izuku's brilliant mind. He had drawn it a few days ago, and Shouto had expected him to be at the meeting, but…

His short friend was nowhere to be seen.

Shouto wasn't all that surprised. With his father—_his father?!_—suddenly showing up, it was only obvious how Izuku was feeling. Knowing him, even if he was a different version than Shouto was used to, he was probably crying it all out somewhere.

And Shouto hated it. There wasn't much he could do for his friend, but he at least wanted to know if Izuku was all right. He was terrible at comfort, but his Izuku told him he had been getting better.

"All right, then. Do you know where Mori would be in this building?" Aizawa asked.

Just then, the door slid open, and in walked Midoriya Hisashi, his face stoic but his shoulders drooping as if he had the entire weight of the world resting on them.

Shouto glanced around him and beyond the doorway, wondering if Izuku was close behind. But there was still no sign of him.

Damn, Shouto thought sadly. This timing was so poor.

"Todoroki?"

Shouto jumped, turning his gaze back to Aizawa and the others, who were looking at him expectantly.

"Ah, sorry," Shouto stuttered, moving back towards the table. He pointed towards the west side of the building on the diagram. "I don't know where exactly Mori will be, but I was taken to the tenth floor on this side."

"I see. And the security room?" Aizawa asked.

Shouto thought for a moment, coming up blank. "Hagakure would know. She went there on her own."

Nezu nodded. "Perfect. Then I propose we start the attack from the north side."

"But that's where the high wall is," Midnight commented. "We have people whose quirks can't get them up that high."

"Ah, yes. But those people will be useful elsewhere," Nezu said.

Shouto swallowed. "Will they be safe?"

Nezu smiled, clasping his paws together and considering Shouto's question with care.

"I have no intention of losing anyone in this battle, Todoroki," Nezu said.

The others in the room all smirked and nodded in agreement. They all looked so confident in their abilities and in this plan, but Shouto couldn't help but feel nervous. How can they be so sure that it would work?

"We will make sure that we stop Mori and everyone comes back alive," Nezu added.

Only alive but not unscathed, Shouto noticed. That meant that there was a high chance someone would get hurt.

He sighed. It was inevitable. It _was_ a war, after all.

"Okay," Shouto agreed. He glanced up at Nezu. "Where do you want me?"

Nezu tapped his chin, glancing down at the building model. "We will form multiple groups, or at least pairs. It'll be safer that way in case one of you gets hit with a quirk suppressant," he said. "So I suppose putting you with a smaller group would be fine. Is there someone you prefer to be with?"

Izuku's face flashed through Shouto's mind but he quickly pushed it away. Izuku had no way to defend himself against Mori's strength. He should belong back at the base where it was safe.

Shouto glanced at Nezu and shook his head. "No. Put me where I'm needed."

Nezu nodded. "Excellent. Then we should start—"

Nezu's sentence was cut off when the door slid open, and in walked Izuku—eyes red and swollen and brows furrowed in slight distress.

"I'll team up with Todoroki," he said.

Shouto's eyes nearly bulged and he quickly shook his head.

"Izuku, it's not—"

"What? Safe?" Izuku snapped. "This is my world, too. And I plan on defending it just as much as you."

Shouto snapped his mouth shut, feeling his stomach sink slightly. Izuku was running high on his emotions, and Shouto was afraid he was making decisions without thinking over the consequences first. It was just like his first year at UA, when Izuku would break every bone in his body because he decided to leap into battle without thinking.

Shouto would've laughed at the similarities if the situation wasn't so dire.

He was about to open his mouth in protest, saying Izuku shouldn't be doing this sort of thing when he could get hurt, when another voice spoke up instead.

"I'll be in your group." It was the first time that Midoriya Hisashi had spoken since he entered the room. He glanced to All Might next. "And you should join us."

All Might pointed at himself. "Me? With you all?"

"Yep. You're someone I can trust to protect my—" He stopped himself, eyes flitting over to Izuku and then back to All Might. "To protect the boys."

Shouto's lip twitched. Well, that was… uncomfortable.

"I don't see the harm in it," Nezu said, interrupting the awkward tension. He glanced around the room and nodded. "Shall we go inform the rest of our plan?"

* * *

"Everything should be ready, sir."

Mori took a deep breath, his body tingling from the newly added quirk running through his veins. He ripped the wires from his arms, causing the needles to tear his skin. He stood up from the chair, ignoring the blood that ran down his forearms, and clenched his fists.

Koji stepped back, cautious, and fiddled with his lab coat. There was sweat on his brow and his muscles were tense from the process.

"J-Just take it slow. I still don't know if there are side-effects or if it'll destroy the other quirks," Koji warned.

Mori took a deep breath, feeling jittery. "Bring me a test subject."

Guards immediately left the room, and a few moments later, he heard a struggle, followed by a weak cry.

"Let me _go!_ Get your hands off of me!"

A short woman with dark, greenish hair was forced into the room. She had tears in her eyes but a threatening frown tugged on her lips.

"Make her sit," one of the guards commanded.

She struggled against their hold, but Mori put up his hand, making them stop. The guards were hesitant at first, but they slowly let her go. She glanced up at Mori, her brows knitted in confusion but her eyes still screamed anger.

"Sorry about the roughness," Mori apologized, grabbing a towel from the nearby shelf to wipe the blood from his arms. "What's your name?"

The woman stayed quiet, tears still falling from her eyes.

Mori felt his chest burn, a vein popping from his forehead. He rested the bloody towel on the counter. He walked up closer to the woman, his tall figure towering over her smaller form.

"It'll be less painful for you if you cooperate," he said in a low voice.

"What does that matter? What else could you possibly take from me that I haven't already lost?" she asked, tears still leaking from her eyes.

Mori frowned, the vein threatening to pop even more.

He had read the file about the quirk while Koji was preparing the machines for transfer. He needed to know the name of the person he was controlling in order to get it to work, and since thousands of files were destroyed in the recent breakout, he had no clue who the prisoners were anymore. The only files they had left were the remaining quirk samples that survived the damage.

These damned quirk users were driving him mad. He thought this woman would be an easy target since she was such an easy crier, but he thought wrong.

He would have to resort to drastic measures.

He lit up his arm in flames, his mind thinking back to that annoying brat who gave him such a hard time just a few days before.

She tried to step back, but the guard behind her pushed her forward.

"You see, I have many quirks now," Mori said. He released the flames and then made his other arm harden. "I have endless powers, and I can produce just about anything."

He shifted to electricity, and then water, and an acid slime that fell to the floor and melted a hole into the surface.

"I could show you each and every one more _personally_, if you'd like," Mori said, smirking dangerously. "_Or_, you could give me your name."

She shivered, averting her eyes. She sniffled, a little pathetically, and then focused her threatening eyes back on Mori.

"M-Midoriya I-Inko," she stuttered.

Mori smirked.

Finally.

"Midoriya Inko," he started, staring her in the eyes. He could feel the quirk start to come to life. "I command that you follow what I say from here on out."

The woman, Inko—not that he would care to remember her name after this—froze up, her eyes widening and then blanking out as she focused on Mori's face.

"Yes, sir," she mumbled, standing completely still.

Mori smiled, wide and sinister.

"Perfect."

* * *

_Slam!_

_Punch!_

The punching bag in front of Izuku swayed on its chains as he hit and kicked it furiously. Sweat was pouring off of him in disgusting amounts, soaking through his gray tank. He huffed, taking another swift kick at the target.

_"Wow, look at you. You're all grown up."_

Izuku faltered, the bag only moving slightly instead of moving completely like he wanted to. He swallowed and took another stab at it, getting in a jab with his left hand and then really sticking to it with a right hook.

_"Your hair is different, and you lost all that cute baby fat, but you're still Izuku."_

Izuku bit the inside of his cheek. He could feel himself starting to lose control and he didn't want to explode.

He took a deep breath and reset, shaking off the nerves and setting his shoulders before staring down at the bag, ready to punch it again. He put up his fists and got into position, tensing his muscles as he reared his hands back.

_"It's a little complicated, son—"_

_Whack!_

_"I tried to reach out, send more letters…"_

_Thump!_

_"But I'm so proud of what you've become. Your mother would be so happy to see you now."_

_Wham… Wham… WHAM!_

"Izuku!"

Izuku flinched, bracing himself against the punching bag before his quivering knees could give out. He panted, sweat gliding off of his nose. He turned around and saw Todoroki in the doorway to the gymnasium, eyes a little wide and showing concern.

"Todoroki?" Izuku asked.

"You're going to run yourself ragged before we even start the assault," he said, approaching him with a scolding look on his face. He pulled Izuku away from the punching bag. "What's got you so worked up?"

His father's face flashed in Izuku's mind and he quickly frowned. He sighed and rolled his shoulders, stretching them out.

"Nothing," he lied, and it even sounded fake.

"Right. You know, I know a thing or two about having shitty fathers," Todoroki said.

Izuku sucked in a sharp breath, turning towards him with a shocked look on his face.

"W-What? I didn't say anything about my father," Izuku said.

"You didn't have to," Todoroki said. "I could just tell. You ignored him all night and at the meeting, and didn't say a word to him at breakfast this morning."

Izuku sighed. "I forgot how attentive you are sometimes."

"He doesn't seem like a bad guy," Todoroki said. He took a deep breath and sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'm not telling you to be friends with the guy. But it might help to just talk to him, you know?"

Izuku frowned, not agreeing in the slightest. "Talk to him? You know nothing about him! You don't understand how he abandoned me! Abandoned my mother!" He felt his hands clenching into fists. "How could you possibly understand?"

Todoroki frowned, looking a bit sheepish. He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced down at the ground. He hesitated, and suddenly Izuku felt his stomach clench.

"My old man wasn't really a… father to me and my siblings," Todoroki explained.

Todoroki reached up and rubbed the scar on his cheek absently, and the weight in Izuku's stomach dropped hard. It was painful.

"I hated him. I still kind of do now, and I won't ever forgive him for what he's done, but…" Todoroki paused, twisting his lips as he tried to come up with the right words to say. "We did come to an understanding. Sort of. And we can speak on mostly good terms now."

Todoroki seemed to be lost in his own mind, far away from the real world. He paused and shook his head, letting out a soft sigh.

"It won't be easy to talk to him. And it'll be a lot harder to forgive," Todoroki started, eyes focused again, "but you'll probably feel a lot better if you do speak to him about all this."

Izuku bit his lip, tossing the idea around in his head, and then sighed. His shoulders slumped as heavy guilt weighed upon them and he glanced up at Todoroki with a defeated pout.

"I really don't want to," he whined.

Todoroki smiled. "But you'll feel better."

Izuku gazed at him skeptically. "Did you have to give the Izuku from your world these talks, too?"

"Not really. I mostly told him to stop martyring himself," he said, and Izuku blinked at him strangely. "He was the one who actually told me to talk things out with my old man."

Izuku blinked at him, still pondering the idea in his mind. He barely even remembered his father growing up. In all of his memories, it was just his mother taking care of him, taking him to the doctor, comforting him when he found out he was quirkless. His father was never in the picture for the biggest moments of his life.

But…

_"I've failed you as a father, and I failed Inko as her husband. But I'm going to try to build that back up. For our family."_

…maybe Todoroki had a point.

"So," Todoroki started. "You want to give it a try?"

Izuku sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah," he grumbled. "Let's get this over with."

He didn't miss the way Todoroki's lips curled up in a victorious smirk but chose to ignore it, instead moving in a way that expressed his extreme displeasure.

He dragged himself out of the gym, Todoroki following behind, and down towards the library where he knew his father would be. It would make for an awkward interaction but Todoroki was right. He needed to clear the air before things got too uncomfortable. For everyone's sake.

When they entered the library, All Might, Aizawa, Midnight, Nezu, and Izuku's father were all standing around the center table, making last minute additions to the plan.

Izuku hesitated at the doorway, glancing up at Todoroki for some sort of support. Todoroki nodded at him and gestured for him to enter, making Izuku sigh again. After a moment of quiet deliberation, he tiptoed over to the table, hearing the adults' quiet conversations.

His father was in the middle of a sentence but froze when he noticed Izuku approaching, his eyes wide. The rest of the adults looked at him curiously and then noticed Izuku standing there, as well.

"Ah, Izuku," his father called in surprise. "It's a little early to start the operation, but uh… you're welcome to stay and give your input."

Izuku could feel the sincerity in his father's voice. He made it so incredibly difficult to hate him.

"Actually… I was hoping we could talk," Izuku said in a small voice.

His father's eyes widened, the green shining against the light in the room.

"Y-Yeah, we can do that," his father said. "Just let me finish up here, and then you'll have my undivided attention."

Izuku nodded, planting his hands by his sides. His father smiled, almost giddily, and then turned back to the table.

Aizawa continued the conversation from earlier, before Izuku had walked up.

"Okay, so team one is going on the west side while team two is going…" Aizawa let his sentence hang as he glanced across the table to Izuku's father.

"Oh, right," his father stuttered. "They're going in on the east side, and then we'll only have to deal with—"

"_Shouta!"_

Suddenly, Present Mic ran into the room, huffing and puffing as he slid to a stop near the table, nearly stumbling over his own two feet.

Aizawa was immediately on the alert, standing up straight as he looked at him seriously.

"What is it?" Aizawa asked, brows furrowed.

Present Mic took a second to catch his breath and then he glanced up at everyone.

"It's the city! It's under attack!" he yelled.

"What?" Midnight asked, eyes wide.

"It has to be Mori," Aizawa said.

"Is it military? Police?" Izuku's father asked.

Present Mic shook his head wildly.

"No!" he yelled, desperately. "The people attacking the city… They have quirks!"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

* * *

As soon as the words left Present Mic's mouth, the room fell into a tense stillness.

Shouto watched the adult' stiff bodies, staring at Present Mic as if he had two heads. He could almost feel their minds working into overdrive as they tried to process his words.

But Shouto didn't have to think too hard about it. He already had a strange feeling stewing in the pit of his stomach at the thought. And it all pointed to one person.

"They have _what?"_

Aizawa's gruff voice cut through the silence and he almost seemed to glare in Present Mic's direction. Present Mic wasn't phased, however, and he waved his hands in the air and pointed towards the wall.

"Quirks!" he yelled. "The attackers have—"

Suddenly, the ground rattled beneath their feet, making the lights flicker until they shut off completely.

Shouto latched onto the nearby wall to stabilize himself, but as he glanced up, he noticed pieces starting to fall from the ceiling.

Sucking in a sharp breath through his teeth, Shouto reared his right arm back and then flung it upward, sending a wave of ice to climb towards the ceiling and catch the falling debris before they could land on the adults below.

"Ah, Todoroki!" Izuku called in a panic.

Shouto glanced at him and the others, surveying the damage done. "Is everyone okay?"

Izuku hurried over to him and then glanced up at the smooth curve of Shouto's ice wall.

"Yeah, I think so. Good thinking," Izuku said.

Shouto nodded in response and then looked to the adults, who were busy listening to their surroundings.

"It looks like we might have to delay this plan," Nezu said, a frown on his face for once.

Aizawa scowled. "I'm going to get a head start_."_

As soon as the words left his mouth, Aizawa grabbed at his scarf and flung it upwards, attaching it to the ceiling. It pulled him up towards the hole at the top, and in a flash, he was gone.

"Ah! Shouta!" Present Mic screamed.

"C'mon," Midnight said, latching onto Present Mic's arm and dragging him to the door.

All Might and Izuku's father stood next to Nezu, looking at each other with conflicted expressions.

"We should go ahead, too," Izuku's father offered.

All Might nodded. "Very well. Let's make sure they don't get into trouble."

He gave Izuku and Shouto a smile and a two-fingered salute before he jumped up through the hole in the ceiling, leaving behind some dust to flow around him.

Izuku's father stared up at the hole after him, his eyes a little down and his mouth twisted in what seemed like despair. Then, he turned that same sad gaze towards Izuku, looking torn.

"Izuku, I…" he paused, his hand clenching and unclenching.

Shouto tried to understand the look on the man's face but he couldn't quite place the emotion behind. Although, he did know that he had seen that same expression on Izuku's face numerous times, and whenever he did, tears weren't too far behind.

"It's okay," Izuku said, putting up a hand. "We'll talk once this is all over."

Shouto looked at him in surprise, feeling his own heart sitting a little heavier in his chest at the look on his friend's face.

Izuku's father seemed apprehensive about the idea, but he gave a jerky nod in his direction, his eyes flitting over to Shouto briefly before landing back on his son.

"Just… stay in a group. Don't go off by yourself," he said. "And… be careful. Please."

Izuku visibly swallowed and then nodded. Then, both he and Shouto watched as he hurried out the door to catch up with the rest of the pros.

"Right, then." Nezu suddenly appeared next to Shouto, almost startling him from his stupor. He patted Shouto's leg, a smile nowhere in sight. "Go get the others ready for combat. We will need all the help we can get."

Shouto nodded. "Yes, sir."

He quickly turned towards Izuku, his body already moving on instinct. He was ready to go and all of his hero training was suddenly kicking in. His classes had truly prepared him for something like this.

But when he faced his friend, Shouto nearly stopped in his tracks. Izuku was blankly staring off where his father had disappeared through just a few seconds before.

"Izuku?" Shouto called, a little concerned.

Izuku startled slightly, his eyes glistening back to life as he blinked rapidly, as if he just woke up. He turned towards Shouto with wide eyes.

"Ah, Todoroki…" Izuku called.

"Izuku, we have to gather the others," Shouto said, grabbing Izuku's shoulder.

Izuku swallowed, glancing back to the doorway again and then to the floor. He nodded slowly.

"Right," Izuku said. He shook his head rapidly and then glanced back up at Shouto with a hard expression. "Let's go."

Izuku took the lead first, heading towards the doorway. Shouto moved to follow, but felt a tug on his pants. He glanced down and saw Nezu, staring up at him with a small smile on his face, but it wasn't quite genuine.

"Make sure you all watch out for each other," he said. "My plan is for all of us to come back alive. Understand?"

Shouto nodded, feeling his fire start to warm up his chest as he grew angrier. He could practically feel Mori's hands clawing at him, and Shouto was itching to seek his revenge on all of the pain he had caused his friends, and himself.

If he could help it, he never wanted to see Izuku cry again.

"I will," Shouto said, and then he hurried out the door and down the hall to catch up to Izuku, who was starting to jog at this point.

"I think the others might be in the gym," Izuku said.

"Okay," Shouto said. "Let's hurry. Who knows when the next attack will—"

Shouto's sentence was cut off as another explosion rocked the building, sending them both falling to the ground. Shouto put an arm around Izuku's shoulders and slung a small ice barrier overtop of their fallen bodies. They both grunted and held their breath as the building shook more. Shouto held onto Izuku tighter, pressing his face into Izuku's hair.

After a moment or two, the shaking ceased, and Shouto squeezed Izuku's shoulder and gingerly helped him to his feet.

"You alright?" he asked, releasing a strained breath.

Izuku nodded and rubbed the dust out of his hair. "Yeah. We should go check on the others, though."

Shouto nodded and they both rushed down the hall towards the gym. There were various screams throughout the halls as more explosions rattled the building, and when they burst through the doors that led into the gym, they expected to see chaos. But instead, they saw their friends with protective gear on their bodies and weapons in their hands.

"Ah, guys," Izuku said in surprise as he approached Iida, who was clicking his exhausts into place on his calves.

Iida glanced up, eyes widening. "Midoriya! Todoroki! Glad to see you are both unharmed."

Uraraka hurried over and hugged Izuku tight, and Shouto noticed that she had different clothing on. It looked similar to the pink costume from his world that Uraraka had designed her first year, but it definitely wasn't as high-tech.

"Where did you get all this gear?" Izuku asked as Uraraka got off of him.

"Oh! Momo made them for us!" Uraraka explained, looking back towards Momo, who was pulling a jacket out of her stomach for Kaminari, who was standing nearby. "She made things for you guys, too!"

Shouto blinked, exchanging a look with Izuku. "For us?"

Uraraka nodded and grabbed their wrists, tugging them over to the piles of materials next to Momo. She knelt down and grabbed two bundles, thrusting them both at Izuku's and Shouto's chests.

"Here, check them out!" she said. "And hurry! We've got to get going."

She scurried off back to Iida and helped him put on his chest armor, which Shouto noticed was interestingly similar to Ingenium's design. He glanced around at the others, watching as they were all putting on some sort of costumes that were similar to the ones from his world. He wondered if the costumes made were adaptive to everyone's quirks.

"Whoa!"

Shouto snapped his head over to look at Izuku, who was holding out a dark-green suit with a mask attached. It wasn't exactly like Izuku's brighter green costume from his world—_and not to mention the obvious homage to All Might_—but it was sleek and breathable and very _Izuku_.

"This is… so… _cool!"_ Izuku said, eyes bright as he studied over it.

Shouto smiled softly. At least Izuku hasn't completely lost his spark in this world.

While Izuku was practically ripping off his clothes to put on the new outfit, Shouto carefully unrolled his bundle and his eyes widened.

It was almost identical to his hero costume, including a variation of what looked like a temperature regulator.

"Do you like it?" Momo asked, approaching him with a smile.

Shouto nodded. "It looks… just like mine."

Momo hummed. "Well, I tried to get it close to yours as possible," she said. "I looked at what was left of yours after you came back from the rescue mission, and I tried to copy it as best as I could."

Ah, that was right. His shirt had been completely ruined from Mori's torture. All that he had left were his pants and boots, but even those needed some work.

"Thank you, Yaoyorozu," Shouto said.

Momo nodded, smile much brighter. "You're welcome!"

After she walked away, Shouto took a deep breath and reached for the hem of his shirt, pulling it off in one motion. He moved to remove his worn pants when he felt something in the back pocket. He twisted his lips and reached inside, pulling out a thin card.

It was his provisional hero's license.

_"Congratulations, you guys!"_

_"We're so proud of you!"_

_"Welcome to being one of us!"_

Shouto smiled, remembering his friends cheering him on when he and Bakugou finally got their provisional licenses. Bakugou was, of course, angry that he was so late, but he could see the happiness on his face as he walked back up to his room that night, face shining in a strange, evil smirk while staring down at his license.

Shouto took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

It was time to put everything he learned to work.

He quickly changed into his new costume, making the temperature regulators snug on his wrists and on his back. Once his new pants were on, along with his boots, he grabbed ahold of his provisional license and stared down at it again.

"Oh, it's your license," Izuku said, zipping up his costume as he walked by his side. The costume looked good on him—more professional. Shouto might suggest some things to his Izuku when he got back… "You're keeping it on you? What if they catch you with it?"

"Guess we'll just have to find out," he said, and he tucked it into his back pocket just as he did before. Izuku gave him a tentative look, but he nodded, seeming to allow this.

"Oh, guys!"

Kirishima rushed over to them and held out his hand, two bean-shaped devices in his palm.

"What's this?" Izuku asked, grabbing one.

"Ah, they're earpieces!" Kirishima explained. "Momo made them for everyone."

"Wow," Izuku said, putting it into his ear. "She's really been working hard."

* * *

Shouto nodded and placed it in his own ear as well. "We'll have to do the same."

Aizawa hurled his scarf to the nearby balcony, pulling himself up and onto the edge, peering down the road and the city in front of him. He could see dust in the distance along with debris everywhere. If he thought the city was a mess before, it was a complete disaster now. He couldn't see anyone using their quirks, but he could definitely hear crashing and explosions throughout the city.

He jumped when he heard a loud, sickening crack, and he turned his head to see a skyscraper in the distance shake and then start to fall on its side, slamming into other buildings and sending debris and dust everywhere.

Aizawa's stomach churned. Just how many people were hiding out in those buildings? Or just living?

Were there any children in there?

"Shouta!"

Aizawa glanced down to see Hizashi waving his arms at him from the ground. He sighed and leaped from the balcony railing, landing down next to Hizashi.

"What is it?" Aizawa asked, feeling winded from all the jumping around and observing the city.

"I tried talking to one of the quirk users destroying a building," Hizashi explained, nearly using his quirk as he yelled, "but he only attacked me without saying a word!"

Aizawa's eyes widened and he glanced over Hizashi's body, looking for injuries. His clothes were worn and his blond hair was dirtied, but otherwise seemed unharmed.

"Are you hurt?" he decided to ask anyway.

Hizashi shook his head. "No. I managed to get away from him before he could slam me with his quirk."

Aizawa hummed and folded his arms across his chest. "And he just attacked you?"

Hizashi nodded. "Didn't even respond to me when I spoke to him."

Aizawa quirked a brow. "He didn't say anything when he attacked you?"

"Not a word."

Aizawa breathed out a quick breath and turned in the direction of the school. He could hear more explosions and the ground shook slightly, making Hizashi squeak and whirl around, looking for the source.

"We can't handle this on our own, Shouta!" Hizashi shouted over the explosions. "We need to group together!"

Aizawa grit his teeth. He knew Hizashi was right, but he wanted to survey more of the surrounding area before he dragged the kids into this. He didn't want the kids to fight at all. It shouldn't be their job to defend the city. Heck, these kids should be in school, learning and enjoying just being a _kid_. None of them deserved this stress.

"Ah, Aizawa!"

Aizawa turned around and saw Midnight running towards him with All Might and Midoriya close behind. Both of the men were covered in dirt, and All Might had some blood running from his mouth.

"Kayama," Aizawa called. "What's the situation on your side?"

Midnight huffed, hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

"It's a mess," she panted. "There are more people destroying the city on the east side."

"Quirkless people?" Aizawa asked.

Midnight shook her head. "No. All of them have quirks."

Aizawa clicked his tongue. Something wasn't right here.

"They seem to be destroying everything that isn't involved with government buildings or the prison," Midoriya commented, slapping the dust off of his pants. "They're avoiding those buildings completely."

"I see," Aizawa said, turning his gaze towards All Might. "You all right?"

All Might wiped his chin, looking a bit nervous, but he kept his wide smile and nodded.

"Yes," he answered. "Just a scratch."

Midoriya seemed uncomfortable, as well, his eyes gazing at the blood on All Might's chin with an apprehensive expression.

Aizawa quirked a brow at them but kept his mouth shut. He turned back towards the school and then back at the others.

"This doesn't seem to be a rebellion," Aizawa noted. "This looks like the work of Mori."

"Huh? But how?" Hizashi asked, eyes wide.

"I'm not sure," Aizawa said. "But it looks to be something like a mind-control quirk."

"Mind control?" Midnight echoed. "But he doesn't have a quirk!"

"But remember what Todoroki said. He's stealing quirks for his own use," Aizawa reminded. "He must've found a new one to use."

"He must be getting desperate," Midoriya said, brows lowering.

Aizawa nodded. "Sounds like it."

Suddenly, a loud explosion ripped through the air, and a few buildings fell to the ground in a heap.

"Damn it," Midnight said. "They're getting closer to the school."

"Izuku…" Midoriya whispered, looking back in the direction of the school.

Aizawa pulled his scarf loose, getting ready to fling it again. He glanced to the others, eyes fierce.

"Head back and gather the kids," he said. "Get the teams together and start the counterattack."

He flung his scarf back up towards the same balcony. He was about to pull himself back up when Hizashi reached out towards him.

"Huh?! What about you?!" Hizashi yelled. "Where are you going?"

Aizawa turned away from him and tugged on his scarf. He thought of the faces of those jaded kids as they sat in the library of that school, all looking downtrodden and so, so afraid. There were even some too scared to just go outside, and some of them were so malnourished that Aizawa thought their fragile bodies would break just by touching their shoulder.

It made him furious.

"I'm going to try to stall them before they get to the school," Aizawa said. "You get those kids ready!"

He took off, flinging himself up towards the rooftops.

"Shouta!"

He heard Hizashi's voice calling after him but he ignored it, venturing up on the rooftops and running towards the chaos and fallen buildings.

As he got closer, Aizawa could hear loud screams as quirkless people ran for their lives down the streets. Running after them were people with floating rocks, roaring waters, and bent metal all flying around them, their eyes crazed as they chased down the people with the intent to kill.

To his left, there were even more people using a variety of quirks, and Aizawa noticed a large spike hurling in the air and hitting a civilian in the arm, pinning him to the ground in a blood-curdling scream. The streets started to crack and fall apart, sending people falling to possibly their deaths below, and buildings even started to disappear.

Blood was starting to fill the broken city, and screams were ringing in the air.

Aizawa swallowed, his breaths shallow and trembling.

It was as if it was the end of the world.

* * *

Shouto tested out his temperature regulators, making sure they didn't overheat or give him frostbite. They didn't quite feel as accurate as his old ones, but they would work for now.

He glanced around the room at the others, who were all standing by and waiting for the next move. They all had solemn looks on their faces, and several of them looked terrified.

Shouto winced. While they had been living in this dismal world on their own, they didn't have any sort of training in combat or how to even use their quirk properly.

He glanced over to Izuku next, who was stretching out his legs and took a moment to study him.

Izuku, in this world, was quirkless.

He had thought that maybe it was just because his quirk didn't establish itself at all in this world, but something about it just seemed strange. How is it that the Izuku in his world had an incredibly strong quirk but this Izuku was left without one at all?

The thought made Shouto worry. Would Izuku be safe during all this? Back in his world, even though Izuku had a quirk, he still managed to find a way to get hurt. That was why Shouto decided to pair up with him more often to prevent his impending long list of injuries.

But…

Izuku jumped on the tips of his toes and got into a fighting position, his fists high to shield his face and neck.

…Izuku knew how to fight.

Shouto wondered if he learned on the streets when he fought against protestors and police officers. He also wondered if perhaps, the other version of himself taught Izuku anything about fighting.

Shouto sighed. He would have to keep a close eye on him.

Soon enough, the double doors opened and in walked the pros, or their counterparts. Some of them were dirtied and grimy or covered in spots of blood or soot. Izuku's father was one of them, All Might close behind, both looking ragged. Aizawa was nowhere to be found, and Shouto bit the inside of his cheek.

Nezu hopped up on a nearby chair and spoke quickly.

"All right, we don't have much time to act," Nezu said. "You all were assigned your groups last night. So stick with those groups throughout."

He glanced to his left and right, looking to the pros next to him. Then, after a moment, he turned back to the kids with a grim look on his face.

"Here's the situation: there are people destroying the city. And these people have quirks," Nezu said.

Shouto could hear his classmates talking to each other in heated whispers, each starting to fret. Shouto could feel the tension sitting on his shoulders like a hot flame. There was an impending doom leering just at the thought, and it was starting to make him feel sick.

"They seem to be under a brainwashing quirk of some sort," Nezu said, eyes sliding to Shinsou in the corner. "Our goal is to stop them from destroying the city and hurting innocent people."

"Innocent people?" Bakugou growled. "You mean those quirkless assholes who disowned us and think they're better than us?!"

"Yes," Nezu said without hesitation, making Bakugou's mouth snap shut. "They're people, just like us, who are in danger of a crazed man, just like us."

Bakugou folded his arms across his armored chest, and sat back, disgruntled but cooperative.

"We don't want to cause harm to them, since they don't seem to be in their right mind, but we must do what we have to in order to put a stop to the destruction," Nezu said. "Any questions?"

Before anyone could even speak, the ground shook and a loud blast shattered every window and crumbled an entire wall of the gym, leaving pieces of ceiling barely clinging on.

Everyone braced themselves at the impact, all looking at the massive hole that now replaced the gym wall. And standing outside was a giant, reptile-like monster with red eyes and sharp claws tearing at the building next to it. There were several other quirk-users standing next to it, all with fierce expressions on their faces and their hands curled into fists.

Nezu frowned. "Looks like we don't have time to answer." He stood to his feet and placed his own earpiece into his tiny ratlike ear. "Stay in contact with each other. Now, go!"

As people began to disperse into their groups, Izuku's father called out to him.

"Izuku, this way!" he yelled, gesturing for Izuku and Shouto to follow.

Shouto and Izuku exchanged glances and then took off, both silently saying a prayer for the others. They caught up with Izuku's father and All Might and left for the street, immediately going in to attack the nearby people who were trying to destroy the gym.

All Might took on the giant reptile, giving it a swift punch that sent it falling to its side. Meanwhile, Izuku's father took in a deep breath and sent out giant flames that ate at some tree roots that were attached to another person's fingers.

What in the world? Shouto thought. Izuku's father had such a powerful quirk. And if he recalled correctly, Izuku's mother had some sort of telekinesis.

So… where did his Izuku's "All-Might-like" quirk come from?

"Todoroki, there!"

Shouto snapped out of his awestruck gaze to give his attention to Izuku, who was pointing at a person pulling up water from the sewers and throwing it at the building.

Shouto nodded and refocused. "Got it."

He slammed his foot down on the pavement and sent a path of ice hurtling towards the water, freezing it almost instantly. The ice traveled directly back to the person wielding the water, freezing them in place. She snarled and tried to fight against the ice crap, but she couldn't break free.

"They're acting crazed," Izuku noted as he caught up to Shouto's side.

Shouto agreed with a light hum, staring at the woman as she continued to thrash and spew incoherent gibberish from her mouth. What kind of brainwashing quirk caused _this?_ Not even Shinsou's quirk made his victims act this way.

"Todoroki, watch out!"

Shouto instinctively put up a wall of fire around him. Before he could even turn around to see the oncoming danger, he heard a solid hit and a grunt. A man fell down next to Shouto's feet, unconscious with drool falling from the corner of his mouth.

As Shouto extinguished his flames, Izuku stumbled next to him, panting a bit as he wiped sweat from his temple.

"Thanks," Shouto said.

Izuku nodded. "You were right. That guy didn't even respond to me when I shouted at him."

Shouto grit his teeth. These were innocent people, for crying out loud. They wouldn't attack others on their own. It made him sick to his stomach to know that they were being controlled like puppets.

"Izuku, are you guys okay?"

Izuku's father and All Might jogged over to meet them, but before they could even make it, the ground shook and the pavement cracked, the earth opening up beneath their feet.

Shouto jumped back and gestured for Izuku to follow, but as Izuku took a step forward, the ground crumbled and he sunk through the pavement, starting to fall into the crack.

"_Izuku!"_ his father cried, reaching out for him in horror.

Shouto reached out, as well, but Izuku's fingers slipped right through his grasp. He felt his heart squeeze in a panic, and he was about to stand to his feet to jump down, but All Might leaped in the hole after him, pushing against the walls to get to Izuku faster. They both disappeared into the darkness, and a rock settled in Shouto's stomach.

"Izuku!" his father yelled again.

Shouto crawled to the edge of the hole, listening and watching carefully for any signs of life.

He feared the worst, that his best friend would be gone forever.

Shouto stood to his feet and got ready to jump down anyway, regardless of his own safety, but he heard a rumbling voice booming from the hole.

"Not to worry, young Midoriya!" All Might's voice echoed. "For I am here!"

After a moment, Shouto could see All Might climbing up the hole with Izuku slung over his shoulder. Izuku had his hands covering his face, the tips of his ears burning.

Izuku's father sighed in relief, nearly slumping against the edge of the hole in the ground.

Shouto also felt his arms nearly collapse from the stress, both of them shaking as he pushed himself to his feet.

"Th-Thank you, All Might," Izuku murmured as All Might placed him on the ground.

All Might stood tall, smiling brightly with his hands on his hips. He nodded to Izuku and gave him a thumbs up.

"You're welcome, young man!" he said. "Just make sure you watch your step! That could've been—"

Suddenly, a heap of rocks came flying into the air and slammed into All Might's torso, sending him airborne. He flew back against a building and landing on the ground in a sickening crack.

"All Might!" Izuku yelled.

"Ah, damn it. Yagi!" Izuku's father shouted, running down the street towards All Might's fallen body.

Shouto followed after them, glancing around for the source of those flying rocks, but he found no one nearby.

"Yagi! Are you okay?" Izuku's father asked as he knelt down to All Might and started pulling the rocks from his body.

"Yeah," All Might, his voice a little shaky. "I think—"

His voice cut off when he coughed, blood sputtering from his lips. He coughed more harshly, and a white steam started to rise from his shoulders.

And then, his large body shrank, and suddenly he was the frail, old man that Shouto recognized as Yagi-sensei.

"W-What?!" Izuku squeaked. "What happened?!"

Izuku's father sighed and helped pull the thin All Might to his feet, throwing his arm over his shoulder.

"I'll explain later," Izuku's father said. "For now, we need to get him somewhere safe."

Shouto pointed to a nearby building, untouched from any damage and far enough away from the crack in the ground. "Maybe inside that building?"

Izuku's father nodded in response. "That might work."

But before they could even take a step, more rocks started to fly towards them at lightning speed.

"Ah, Todoroki!" Izuku shrieked, pointing towards the flying rocks.

Shouto knelt down to the ground and smacked his palm to the pavement, flinging his arm up to create a thick ice wall. It managed to block all of the rocks before they impacted their skulls, and Shouto breathed out in relief that his wall worked.

"Where are these rocks coming from?" Izuku asked.

Shouto glanced around, looking up high and low, but seeing no one around. Then, he turned around to look down the street, and he gasped.

"Izuku…" Shouto said softly, pointing down the street.

Izuku blinked at him and then turned his head to glance down the road where Shouto's finger was pointing. His eyes went wide and he also gasped, his face turning stricken.

"M-Mom?"


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

* * *

_"Izuku, dear! Time for dinner!"_

_Izuku smiled at hearing his mother's voice just down the stairs. He hurried to his closet and pulled out his favorite All Might costume, quickly shoving it onto his tiny body. Once the hair pieces were sticking up properly on the hood, he ran down the stairs and skidded into the kitchen. _

_"Mommy, look!" he shouted waving his hands into the air._

_His mother turned around from the stove, her hand touching the handle of the steaming kettle. When she saw Izuku's face, she beamed and put her hands to her cheeks._

_"Oh, my little Izuku! You look so cute!" she gushed. _

_Izuku flashed her a big smile and lifted his hand in the air in a valiant pose. _

_"I'm not cute, Mommy! I'm brave!" he argued. "Because I'm All Might!"_

_"Oh, you're right, you're right," she said, kneeling down to him. She grabbed him under his arms and hoisted him up. "My big, strong, mini-Might!"_

_Izuku's eyes sparkled. "Mini-Might?!"_

_"Yes, of course!" she said, snuggling him close. "You're like All-Might's next sidekick!"_

_Izuku was practically vibrating with excitement as he bounced in his mother's arms. He pointed to the computer in the other room, batting her arm wildly._

_"Can we watch the All Might video again, Mommy?" he asked. _

_"After you've eaten your dinner," she said, setting him down at the dinner table. Izuku immediately began to dig into his favorite meal, almost swallowing the food whole. "Slow down, Izuku! You'll get a stomachache!"_

_Izuku munched softly and then swallowed thickly, nearly choking. He glanced up at his mother with pleading eyes._

_"But, Mom! All Might—"_

_"—isn't going anywhere," his mother interrupted. _

_Izuku pouted and glanced down at his dinner, wanting to scarf it down as quickly as possible. His mother smiled and patted his head._

_"Tell you what. If you finish dinner at the same time as me, then we can eat dessert while watching All Might together," she said._

_Izuku immediately perked up and smiled at his mother._

_"Really?!" he asked, excitement immediately back in his voice._

_"Of course, sweetie. Now eat your dinner and tell me about preschool," she said._

_Izuku smiled and picked up his chopsticks. "Yes, Mommy!"_

* * *

Izuku's heart was slamming against his chest.

His mother was _alive_. She was alive and standing just a few meters away from him. She looked a bit different—shorter, but perhaps he's grown a bit—but he knew it was her. It was definitely his mother.

But…

Her face was pulled into a vicious scowl, her eyes both blank and filled with hatred at the same time.

Izuku shivered, feeling chills run down his spine. He had never seen that look on his mother's face before.

While it was his mother standing before him, he knew that she didn't recognize him.

She was at the mercy of Mori's mind control.

"Inko…"

Izuku snapped his head to the side to see his father gently resting All Might's small body back on the ground, his eyes wide and in shock.

"Inko, I… I can't believe it," his father said, taking a step towards her. "It's… really you. I… I thought you were dead."

"Izuku, you have to stop him," Todoroki whispered harshly. "Your mom is being mind controlled!"

Izuku's hands clenched into tight fists. He nodded once, knowing full well that his father could get hurt if he approached her, but he couldn't help but want to follow right behind him.

How many nights did he long for his mother's hugs? How many days did he go without her telling him about her day or vise versa? Or her asking how school went?

When did he push aside his feelings of longing for her?

"Izuku."

Izuku flinched at Todoroki's voice, nearly jumping out of his skin. He steeled himself and took a step forward.

"Maybe… Maybe we can snap her out of it," Izuku reasoned.

Todoroki scowled, glancing over to Izuku's mother and then back to him.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Todoroki said softly.

Izuku swallowed and turned his attention back to his father, who was still walking towards his mother in stuttered steps. He felt as if he were going to fall apart.

"Th-There has to be a way, though!" Izuku cried.

Todoroki's scowl softened into a concern frown, his eyes narrowing sadly. He hesitated and bit his lip, eyes flitting back and forth. Then, after an agonizing moment, he took a deep breath and sighed.

"Fine. But I'm going to be right behind you," Todoroki insisted.

Izuku nodded and hurried to catch up to his father before he could reach her. But his father was already standing in front of her, his hands reaching out.

"Inko," he breathed. "I'm sorry I was away for so long. I'm back now, though."

His mother stood still, her grayed eyes glaring in his direction and watching his hands as they inched closer to her shoulders.

Izuku's heart did a summersault. He broke out into a light jog to catch up to his father, Shouto's soft footsteps close behind.

"Hey, Inko…" he said. "Do you remember me?"

"Dad," Izuku called from behind. "I don't think that's—"

Before Izuku could finish his sentence, his mother snarled at his father and lifted up her hand, picking up a nearby manhole cover and hurtling it towards his father.

"Dad!" Izuku called.

His father whirled around with wide eyes and then dove out of the way, rolling to the side.

The manhole cover whizzed past his mother's head, making her dark hair fly up and around her face. She lifted up her hand to summon something else nearby, the object flying in her direction at full speed and heading right back towards Izuku's father. He managed to dodge it and it flew past her body once again.

"This is going to get bad unless we stop her," Todoroki said.

Izuku swallowed down the lump in his throat. He didn't want to hurt his mother—_his mother_, for goodness' sake—but if they don't stop her, she would kill them.

"I'll see if I can snap her out of it," Izuku said, rushing forward.

"Izuku, don't!" Todoroki called.

But Izuku ignored him and rushed forward, waving his hands in the air.

"Mom!" Izuku called. "Mom, please! Stop!"

She ignored his cries and, with her quirk, picked up a piece of sharp debris. She willed it in her direction and had it hurl towards his father at full speed. The point was aimed at his chest, and Izuku felt his stomach drop.

"Mom!" Izuku called, finally reaching her side. He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to face him. Her eyes were glazed over and unfocused. So touch didn't have any affect on the brainwashing quirk.

Suddenly, her face twisted into anger and she redirected the debris towards Izuku.

"Izuku, get down!" Todoroki's voice called out.

Izuku only had a moment to react.

He grabbed his mother's shoulders and pushed them both to the ground, the debris whistling overhead and sticking into a nearby building.

When it was clear, he stood to his feet and glanced down at his mother, who was rearing her hands back to pull another object.

"Izuku!" his father called.

Izuku was suddenly pulled to the side, barely avoiding the several scraps of debris that flew past them.

Todoroki skated past them on a path of ice and raised a huge wall of hot fire that burned the debris to crisps. The raw power coming from his friend had Izuku stopping short, his jaw slack in awe.

"Inko!" his father suddenly called, letting go of Izuku's shoulder. "Inko, listen to me!"

Izuku's mother ignored his calls and continued to lift objects towards her, trying to either crush them or slice them into pieces. Izuku's father and Todoroki both worked together to destroy the objects, either by ice or fire. But it was doing nothing to snap his mother out of the quirk.

"Looks like we're running out of options," Todoroki said as he put up a massive ice wall to block any oncoming attacks. "I'm going to try to knock her out."

Izuku's breath hitched and he reached out, wanting to stop him, but before he could even get a hand on him, his father grabbed Todoroki by his collar and yanked him backward. His father's face was pinched and threatening.

"You will do _no_ such thing," he growled.

"Dad…" Izuku called, stepping forward.

"There has to be a word or a phrase or _something_ that can pull her out of this," his father said. "I won't let you hurt my wife."

Todoroki seemed frozen, eyes slowly moving over to Izuku. And Izuku was at a loss, frozen in place as he glanced between the two.

What… What was he going to do now?

* * *

_Izuku ran through the park, lifting his All Might action figure in the air and feeling the wind on his face. _

_The park was pretty this time of year, with the leaves changing and falling. He was bundled up in his favorite All Might hoodie, the bright colors a stark contrast to the dim hues of orange and brown that covered the trees. _

_He had to hurry to catch up to Kacchan and the others so he could show them his new All Might figure. He had just gotten it in the mail—he was so excited when his mom pulled it out of the brown container and handed it to him that morning. He wondered if she had ordered it for him._

_He would sort out the details later. He just really wanted to get there as fast as he could and play with the others._

_"Izuku, darling!"_

_Suddenly, the All Might toy in Izuku's grasp floated from his hand and above his head, hovering slightly. _

_Izuku skidded to a stop, craning his head over his shoulder to see his mom hurrying after him, a strained smile on her face. She huffed as she reached him, wiping off her forehead with the back of her hand._

_"Izuku, you can't just run off," his mother panted, grabbing the toy from where it was floating in the air. "You have to wait for me, okay?"_

_"Why?" Izuku asked, tilting his head._

_"Because I need to make sure you're safe," she said. "If you go off on your own, then how can I protect you?"_

_Izuku's face scrunched up and he pointed to the toy in his mother's hand._

_"But I had All Might with me!" Izuku said. "He was going to protect me!"_

_She hesitated and then looked at the toy. She smiled softly and then gently gave the toy back to her son. "Is that so?" _

_Izuku smiled and clutched the action figure to his chest. "Yes! He's super strong! He would protect me always!"_

_"Mmn," his mother hummed. "Well, that may be true, but he may not always be around to protect you."_

_Izuku frowned, his tiny little world suddenly shattered. "Why not?"_

_His mother crouched down to meet his eyes and she fixed his hoodie, gently tucking in his hair behind his ear. _

_"Well, he's really busy, you know? He can't be everywhere at once," she explained. _

_Izuku felt his lip tremble slightly. He glanced down at the All Might action figure in his hands, seeing that big smile shining up at him, and he glanced up at his mom with teary eyes._

_"But if he can't be there all the time, then who will?" he asked. _

_His mom smiled at his pitiful expression and stroked his hair._

_"Well, for now, I'll be there for you," she said. "And when you're older, you can be your own hero."_

_Izuku's face lit up, tears forgotten. "I can be my own hero?! Really?!"_

_His mother smiled widely, nodding at him. _

_"Of course!"_

* * *

Izuku rushed up to his father and put up his hands, trying to reconcile the strain that had suddenly come between them. They were on the same side, for crying out loud. There shouldn't be any extra punches thrown.

"Dad, let's just calm down and think about this," Izuku said.

"We don't have much time," Todoroki said, looking to him.

His father growled and tightened his grip on Todoroki's shirt, shaking him a little.

Izuku wanted to scold Todoroki for his poorly timed rebuttal, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything.

His mother would surely break through Todoroki's ice barriers at any second, so they had to act fast. But without a solid plan, they were sunk. It really seemed that knocking his mother out would be the best option.

"Dad, maybe he has a point," Izuku said, grabbing onto his father's sleeve. "I don't want to hurt Mom either, but what choice do we have?"

His father winced, shaking his head. "I just got back to her. There's no way I'm losing her."

"We won't let that happen," Todoroki said, touching Izuku's father's arm. "All we're going to do is stop her from hurting anyone else or herself."

Izuku watched as his father hesitated. His hands seemed to loosen on Todoroki's collar but he didn't quite let go all the way. He could hear Todoroki's ice crack as stray objects flew all around and chipped away at the wall.

"Dad," Izuku called, tugging on his wrist. "We've got to do _something_."

More cracks in the ice, more screams and explosions in the distance…

They had more pressing matters to attend to.

And as much as Izuku wanted to stop time itself, he was powerless.

If only he had a quirk. If only he could make himself more _useful!_

"Fine," his father finally relented, resting Todoroki on the ground.

Izuku released a sigh of relief and placed his hand to his chest. He glanced to both of them and then surveyed the area, trying to come up with a plan.

"Okay, we need to get behind Mom," Izuku said. "If we can take her from behind, then we can knock her out pretty easily."

Todoroki nodded immediately, but his father looked uneasy. He nodded anyway and looked on sorrowfully as he faced the ice wall where his wife was standing just a few meters away.

"Okay. Let's make this quick, shall we?" his father said. He glanced to Izuku and pointed to the ground. "You stay here. Todoroki and I will take care of it."

Izuku felt a surge of frustration swell in his chest. "What?! No way, I'm coming, too!"

"Izuku, it's safer if you stay back," Todoroki said. "Please, just trust us."

Izuku wanted to shout, yell, and fight his way back to the battlefield. It had been years since he had even seen his mother. But, once again, he felt his uselessness sitting on his shoulders like a lead weight.

He sighed and nodded, his head hanging.

"We'll be right back, Izuku," his father said. "We're going to get your mother to safety."

"Don't worry. We'll take care of it," Todoroki okay.

Izuku took a deep breath. "Okay. Just promise to make sure it's painless?"

"No worries, kiddo," his dad said. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to your mother."

Izuku sighed and nodded. "Okay. Thank you. I'll stay here and—"

Suddenly, the ice wall shattered, and the shards exploded outward. Todoroki put up a fire wall to melt the sharp pieces before they pierced Izuku's skin, and once the dust had settled, Izuku's mother was standing on the other side.

"Out of time," Todoroki said.

"Right," Izuku's father said. "Let's get around her."

"On it."

They dashed forward and split up, grabbing his mother's attention and leaving Izuku behind in the middle of the street. He watched as his mother tirelessly picked up object after object in ways he had never seen her do before. Sure, his mother could call small objects towards her, like a spoon or even his toys. But when could she do things like _this?_

Mori's new quirk must have some strange perk to it, like making the people under the spell have full access to their own abilities.

It was ridiculous, Izuku thought as he clenched his fists. How could someone manipulate so many people like this? How could he stop Mori from hurting any more people?

How could he defend anyone when he was left behind while his peers did all the work?

He couldn't eve rescue his own mother, for crying out loud.

He stared down at the ground in between his feet, watching the rocks jump lightly as the ground shook from blasts nearby.

Pathetic.

Truly, and completely useless.

Then, the ground in between his feet rumbled, and the rocks shook almost violently. There was a sickening crack nearby, and Izuku turned around to see a different man with steel-infused arms rip a large piece of the sidewalk up from the earth and carry it over his head. The man locked eyes with Izuku—the man's eyes foggy and distant—and then threw the large chunk of pavement towards him.

Izuku gasped, eyes wide.

Was he fast enough? If only he had Iida's quirk. Or maybe Kacchan's—he could explode the giant mass away before it even hit him. Or even just having super strength so he could smack it or shatter it.

But all he had was himself. And his stealth and simple hand-to-hand combat skills couldn't help him here.

Damn this, Izuku thought miserably. Damn all of this!

"Young Midoriya, duck!"

Izuku flinched at the booming voice from overhead, but he instinctively dropped into a crouch, feeling the whoosh of a large body flying overhead. He glanced up and saw the distinctive blue and red costume that All Might wore as he reached out and punched the giant slab of concrete out of the air, smashing it to pieces. The blast from the punch pushed the man backwards and he fell a few paces away with a grunt and a growl.

Izuku covered his head to shield his eyes from the broken pieces and listened as All Might landed in front of him, standing firmly. He turned his head back to look at Izuku over his shoulder.

"Are you okay, Young Midoriya?" All Might asked.

Izuku gulped, shock and adrenaline still pulsing through his veins. It was too close for comfort.

"Yes," Izuku answered finally. "I-I'm fine. Thank you."

All Might's smile was bright and he gave him a thumbs-up. "It's no worries, young man! No need to fear, for I am—"

His sentence cut off with a wet cough, blood spewing from his mouth. More steam lifted from his body and he shrunk back down into the scrawny man he was before, and he fell to his knees.

"A-Ah! All Might!" Izuku said, rushing to his side. He placed his hands on his back to support him, feeling unsure of what to do. "Are you okay?"

All Might, in his scrawny form, lifted up a thin arm and wiped the blood from his mouth. He coughed a few more times and sighed.

"Shit. I'm really out of time now," he said under his breath.

Izuku blinked at him. His stomach felt like it was twirling. "Out of time? What… What do you mean by that?"

All Might glanced up at him, swallowing down some blood. He sighed and shook his head, seemingly unwilling to answer.

"Kid, this… I can't really explain right—"

There was another sinister crack, and the man from before opted to rip up a piece of the asphalt, larger and heavier than the piece from before. He held it above his head and glanced at All Might and Izuku, his face twisted into a sharp glare that rivaled some of Kacchan's evil looks.

"Damn it," All Might cursed, trying to push himself to his feet.

"A-Ah, no! You're hurt!" Izuku said, pulling him back down. He hurried to stand in front of All Might, putting up his fists in front of his face. "I'll distract him. You go ahead and get as far away from here as possible!"

All Might let out a strangled noise. "What? Kid, that's insane! You can't face this guy! You don't have a quirk!"

Izuku glanced at him from over his shoulder and gave a wobbly smile. "What choice do I have? It's either this or leave you to die," he said. He turned around, staring at the man in front of him and giving him his best glare in return. "And I'm not going to let you die."

All Might clicked his tongue in frustration. "Damn it, Midoriya!"

Izuku took slow deep breaths, watching as the man stepped closer with the massive pile of black rocks looming over his head. He snarled and flung the asphalt towards him, and Izuku stood as still as possible. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, but he was sure about one thing.

_"We don't leave anyone behind!"_

He was going to save a life today.

* * *

_Inko remembered the first time she held that little bundle of sunshine in her arms. _

_He was so _small_, and fragile. His freckled cheeks matched that of her husband's, but he had her dark hair and eyes. _

_It was the first time Inko really felt the desperate need to protect something._

_She was holding someone in her arms that mattered more to her than anything else in the world. _

_And all she could think about was his safety. _

_She signed the papers, and her and Hisashi agreed on a name._

_Izuku. _

_And she loved that little bundle to death._

_Whenever he cried, which was often, she comforted him and held him close. And although the tears were often, he was quick to calm down, feeling safe in Inko's arms. _

_She remembered when he learned his first word, and when he began to walk. He fell several times but she was right there to catch him until he could do it on his own._

_When Hisashi left to head for America for an undetermined amount of time, she snuggled Izuku close and promised to protect him with every inch of her life. _

_And she did the best she could. _

_She remembered when Izuku tried reaching for the clean bowl on the drying rack to help put it away, and a sharp knife started to fall point-down towards Izuku's face._

_Inko never acted so quickly in her life._

_By using her quirk, she snapped that knife up so quickly that Izuku didn't even notice the danger. _

_She didn't calm down from that incident all evening, her heart palpitating too quickly against her ribcage. It almost made her faint how close she was to losing him forever._

_As Izuku grew, and as he came home with more scrapes, Inko worried. She worried and worried and made herself sick to think about Izuku getting hurt. But every time she would ask about it, he would simply tell her…_

_"I'm just trying to help others, Mommy." _

_"It's what All Might does, and he's a hero."_

_"And that's what I want to do, too!"_

_"I want to be a hero!"_

_Inko smiled and humored him, supported him through the excitement and the downfall of the discovery of his quirklessness. _

_But then, the rug was pulled from underneath them when Mori came into power._

_It was fine at first. Just simple restrictions on quirks. _

_Then they got more controlling._

_And people started to disappear._

_And families vanished out of thin air._

_Inko knew it was trouble. It was danger and she needed to protect her son._

_So they fled. Along with the Bakugou family, they moved around, meeting other families, dodging police and surviving together on bread and water. Izuku had friends. He was happy and safe. They were a family._

_And she protected him._

_Until she couldn't._

_When the mass amount of police officers swarmed their hideout, every family shoved their kid out, telling them to run and hide._

_And Inko did the same._

_"Mommy, I don't want to leave! Please don't make me go!" Izuku sobbed, fat tears rolling down his cheeks. "Let me go with you!"_

_Inko smiled and wiped his tears. "You can't, sweetheart. This is for your own good." _

_"No!" Izuku whimpered, shaking his head. "Please, Mommy! Please!"_

_Inko leaned forward to kiss his head and then she wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug._

_"You have friends that need protecting, Izuku," Inko said. She leaned back and cupped his cheeks, locking eyes with him. "Can you protect them?"_

_Izuku's chest jumped with sobs and hiccups, but he managed to give his mom a pitiful nod. _

_Inko held back her tears. She had to be strong for her baby this one last time._

_"Good," she said. "Now, hurry! Go and find somewhere safe for you all to live!"_

_Inko gave him a hard shove out the back door, just as officers started to swarm the room. _

_"Mommy!" Izuku called, looking back at her with tears still falling from his eyes._

_Inko smiled at him sadly. "Be safe, Izuku."_

_And then she slammed the door shut. _

_It was the last time she saw her son._

"A-Ah, no! You're hurt!"

_Until…_

_Until it was many, many years later. _

"I'll distract him. You go ahead and get as far away from here as possible!"

_It was hazy. Clipped, and foggy._

_Her mind felt as if it was stuffed with cotton. Like walking through a hot summer rain and the steam just made it impossible to navigate. _

_Like she was living in a dream._

"What? Kid, that's insane! You can't face this guy! You don't have a quirk!"

_A different voice. Unfamiliar. _

"What choice do I have? It's either this or leave you to die."

_Die? No, wait. That's not right. _

_Why was this person going to die?_

_She was supposed to protect this person. _

"And I'm not going to let you die."

"Damn it, Midoriya!"

_Midoriya. _

_Midoriya… Izuku._

_That's right. She knew this person._

_And he was… he was about to be crushed. _

_But she could do something about it. She could save him. _

_She could… save her son._

* * *

"Damn it, Midoriya!"

Shouto startled at the sound of Yagi shouting behind him. He turned his attention away from Izuku's mother and back to the road, and the sight had his heart leaping into his throat.

He planted his foot on the ground and made to turn, trying desperately to change his direction to hurry back to Izuku's side. The man carrying the giant stack of asphalt stepped right in front of Izuku and Yagi and lifted the pile high above his head.

"No, no, no," Shouto whispered, about to rush forward once his feet gained traction.

But it was too late.

The man threw the pile downward, the rocks inches from Izuku's head.

"Izuku!" his father called, horrified.

Shouto saw Izuku put his hands above his head, but he closed his eyes and waited for the loud crash to follow, unable to bear watching his friend get crushed to death right in front of his eyes.

But the crash never came.

Shouto slowly peeked at the aftermath and then quickly snapped his eyes open wide.

The pile was floating above Izuku's head.

Izuku, upon realizing the lack of pain, slowly uncurled himself from his hunched position and stared up at the pile, his eyes wide in disbelief.

Shouto blinked in amazement, wondering if Izuku had finally awakened to his quirk or something.

But then, Shouto heard a sniffle.

He flinched, and then slowly turned his head towards the sound.

Behind him stood Izuku's mother with her hands outstretched towards the chaos on the road. Tears were streaming down her cheeks but her brows were furrowed and her mouth was pulled into a harsh frown.

"You leave my baby alone!" she shouted.

She agonizingly pulled her fingers back, tugging the pile towards her until it was clear of both Izuku and Yagi. Then, she released it, the pile falling to the ground in an earth-trembling crash.

As soon as the pile was clear from over their heads, Izuku leapt into action. He jumped forward and gave the man a swift kick in the jaw, avoiding his metallic arms completely. It sent the man stumbling back a few steps, and Izuku jumped to kick him again and again until the man collapsed onto the ground, jaw bleeding and eyes shut.

He landed on his feet and panted from the exertion, but as soon as he turned around, he was engulfed in a pair of loving, familiar arms.

"Izuku!"

And then, both Izuku and his mother toppled over, his mother holding him tightly.

"Oh, Izuku! I've missed you so much! I'm so glad you're okay!" his mother cried.

Izuku was stunned for a moment, but once he noticed his mother's quivering shoulders and loud sobs, it was like a light had been switched on. Tears sprung to his eyes as he clung onto his mother, crying into her neck like he did when he was little.

"Mom, you're… you're okay!" Izuku cried. "And you're here!"

His mother sniffed and then pushed herself up, yanking Izuku up with her. She smiled at him as she wiped her face.

"Yes, Izuku," she said. "I'm here."

"Inko! Izuku!"

Soon, Izuku's father joined them, falling to his knees next to them and throwing his arms around them both. The three hugged and cradled each other lovingly, finally together again.

Shouto breathed out softly, nearly collapsing to the ground from his shaking legs. That had been close. _Too_ close. He really needed to stick to Izuku like glue in order to keep him safe from now on. There was no way he was going to risk it any longer.

He took a deep breath to regain his bearings and glanced around. Izuku's mom had somehow broken out of the quirk with her own willpower, but that was most likely due to the emotional stress of the situation.

The rest of Mori's brainwashed victims were still destroying the city left and right. And it wasn't as if Shouto knew any of these people to cause them to have emotional breakdowns.

There would only be one way to break the quirk now.

He had to defeat Mori.

Shouto inhaled sharply through his teeth and rolled his shoulders, mentally preparing himself. He walked over to the others, all still huddled on the ground with relieved smiles on their faces.

"Izuku," Shouto called.

The Midoriya family pulled themselves out of the hug and glanced up at him, Izuku wiping the happy tears from his face.

"Ah, Todoroki," Izuku said upon noticing him. He pushed himself up from the ground, his parents also rising to their feet, and looked at him expectantly. "She broke the quirk's spell."

Shouto nodded. "Yes. But there are still several others destroying the city."

"Maybe we can break them out of it just like we did with Mom!" Izuku suggested.

Shouto shook his head somberly. "I think your mother's case was circumstantial. The emotional stress was what led her to break out on her own."

Izuku's mother put her hand to her cheek thoughtfully. "Oh my. I think he's right." She looked to Izuku, a wince on her face. "Once I saw that you were in danger, I somehow managed to snap out of it."

"Mom…" Izuku whispered.

"It makes sense. She saw someone she cared about and snapped out of it," Izuku's father said. "But we don't know what could trigger the others."

"Exactly," Shouto said with a nod.

"Then what do we do?" Izuku asked, his voice rising a little. "There are still so many people who are out here destroying the city! And there are more coming by the second!"

Shouto turned his head in the direction of the prison. He could feel his fire running up and down the left side of his spine.

"Mori has to be stopped so the quirk can cancel out," he said. "So I'll go there to the prison and take him down."

Izuku choked on a strangled cry and reached out to grab Shouto's bicep. He yanked him around so they could lock eyes.

"I'm not letting you go alone," Izuku said.

Shouto frowned, shaking his head. "I'm not letting you go with me. It's too dangerous."

"Why? Just because I'm quirkless?" Izuku spat. "Who cares about that?! You're my friend and I'm going to help you through this, regardless of whether or not I have a quirk!"

Shouto winced slightly and closed his eyes. He didn't want Izuku to get hurt, damnit. That was the last thing he ever wanted to happen.

He would never let it happen if it were up to him.

"Y-Young Midoriya."

The four of them flinched at the sound of Yagi's strained voice. Shouto opened his eyes and glanced at him, watching as he sat up from the ground, blood running down his chin.

"Ah! All Might!" Izuku squeaked, releasing Shouto's arm and falling to his knees by his hero's side.

Yagi took several deep breaths and then placed his arms on Izuku's shoulders.

"I-I can help you with this," Yagi wheezed.

Izuku blinked at him, his brows knitting together to form a worried crease.

"What do you mean? Aren't you badly injured?" Izuku asked. "You should really just rest. You're in no shape to be running after Mori now!"

Yagi waved his hand in the air and shook his head. "Not me. _You."_

It was Shouto's turn to give him a strange look. He was making no sense.

"Me? What do you mean?" Izuku asked.

"Yagi," Izuku's father warned. "Don't do this."

Yagi gave a pathetic smile. "I don't really have a choice at this point, do I, Hisashi?" he asked. "My hero days are over. It was time I picked my heir, anyway."

Heir? Shouto thought. What was he…?

"Young Midoriya, do you want to be a hero?" Yagi asked, looking to Izuku seriously.

Izuku's eyes widened and he nodded, perhaps a little starstruck. "Y-Yes. I want to save others. I want to protect the ones I care about."

Yagi nodded. "Good," he said. "Because I can give you that power."

"W-What?" Izuku squeaked.

"My quirk… it's called One For All," Yagi explained. "It can be transferred from person to person. I can give that to you, right now."

Shouto blinked, taking a step back. He processed the information slowly, images popping into his mind about every interaction he and Izuku had for the past 3 years.

The broken bones, the incredible strength, the embarrassing accusations of the secret love-child theory…

And Shouto hadn't been too off the mark all along.

While Izuku wasn't All Might's biological son, he was the successor of a powerful quirk.

And just like a cog fitting perfectly into its place, the gears started turning.

Everything made complete sense.

"I'll do it."

Before Shouto could process more, Izuku was already agreeing, his face set and determined. His hands were curled into fists on his lap. He looked strong, willing, _fierce_, just like the Izuku Shouto knew so well.

Maybe…

Maybe this could work after all.

Just as long as he doesn't break his arms.

Shouto would have to keep a close eye on him, and perhaps try to help him through some of it.

He remembered his Izuku describing his power output one time, something about the "egg in the microwave" or something like that.

"Great," Yagi said. "Now, all we have to do is transfer."

"How do we do that?" Izuku asked, looking serious.

"Oh, right!" Yagi said, plucking out his hair. "Here, eat this."

"E-Ehh?!"


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

* * *

_Shouto walked down the hallway and to classroom 1-A alone. His bag fit over his shoulder snugly and his uniform was sharp, but it was rubbing against his bruises hidden underneath. The bandages on his cheek and arm were starting to become itchy. _

_But none of it compared to the heavy weight that sat on his heart. _

_The sports festival had finally come to a close, and although he had won the silver medal, he felt like a loser. _

_He already had the idea in mind to visit his mother at the hospital over the weekend, but that was a huge bridge to cross. He was feeling queasy and jittery at the notion. He wished that they didn't have to come in to school today to review the sports festival's outcomes, but it apparently was necessary for their development. _

_Shouto sighed and tugged open the classroom door, already hearing a loud fuss coming from inside. Immediately upon entering, he saw a group of his classmates gathered around a certain person's desk._

_"Wow, Midoriya, does it still hurt?"_

_"Huh? Uh, a little, but the medicine helps a lot!"_

_"Geez, Deku, how long do you have to wear those casts?"_

_"Maybe another week. I think Recovery Girl wants to punish me for overusing my quirk."_

_Shouto closed the door behind him and walked down the middle of the classroom, trying to avoid the commotion on the other side of the room. But as soon as he laid eyes on the thick casts on Midoriya's arms, he felt his stomach plummet. _

_"Midoriya."_

_Midoriya turned his head and looked over in his direction, and Shouto realized it was his voice that called Midoriya's name. He gave Shouto his signature smile, and gestured weirdly with his elbows. Did he want Shouto to come closer? _

_"Ah, can you guys give us a minute?" Midoriya said to the crowd of students surrounding his desk. _

_A majority of the crowd left without a problem, but Iida and Uraraka both looked hesitant to move, eyeing Shouto with extreme caution. But after a minute, they nodded and gave tentative smiles, leaving the desk completely. _

_Once it was clear, Midoriya wiggled in his seat again, nodding his head. _

_"Todoroki! Come over here!" he called._

_Shouto's hand gripped the strap of his bag. He thought about just going to his seat but the guilt was jerking at his heart painfully. He slowly walked over to Midoriya's side and surveyed the damage. _

_It was even worse up close. _

_His two large casts were bulky, so he couldn't wear the uniform blazer. He was only wearing a light button-up shirt with nothing underneath, and Shouto could see the bandages that covered his chest. Had he broken ribs, too? _

_"Congratulations on your silver medal, Todoroki!" Midoriya said with his kind smile. _

_Shouto opened his mouth to speak but he quickly clacked it shut and winced at the damage done to Midoriya's body. He was in so much pain yet he was congratulating him? _

_"How're your injuries?" Shouto asked instead. He couldn't care less about his victory. _

_Midoriya's smile didn't fade as he stared down at his arms. "Ah, well… They're not too bad," he said. _

_Shouto frowned. "Are they broken?"_

_"Mmn," Midoriya responded. "But Recovery Girl said she would heal it later next week. She wanted to give my body a chance to rest after the surgery."_

_"Surgery?" Shouto repeated, his heart in his throat. _

_"Yeah… ah," Midoriya startled when he saw Shouto's face. He shook his head rapidly. "Oh, no, Todoroki! This wasn't your fault!"_

_Shouto averted his eyes. "But you were injured during our match."_

_"Well, yes, but not because of you!" Midoriya assured. _

_Shouto glanced back at him cautiously, looking him over with strict skepticism. But Midoriya only shook his head, his smile returning to his face._

_"It was my own carelessness that got me in this situation," Midoriya said. "I wasn't careful about my quirk and it caused all this backlash."_

_Shouto frowned hard. "So you're saying that your quirk caused all of your broken bones?"_

_"Yep!" Midoriya said. "I was a late bloomer, after all, so I'm not in full control over it, yet."_

_Shouto wasn't convinced, but he decided to let it go. He glanced down at his casts again._

_"So… your quirk is that hard to control?" he asked._

_Midoriya's cheeks reddened and he averted his eyes._

_"I-I'm working on it! I just don't have it quite down, yet," Midoriya squeaked. "I'm trying to catch up to everyone else since I'm so behind. It's a little embarrassing."_

_He let out a self-deprecating chuckle, and it was grating to Shouto's ears. _

_"I think you're doing well," Shouto said softly._

_Midoriya snapped his head back up to gaze at him, eyes wide and pure._

_"R-Really?" he stuttered, a soft red glow on his cheeks._

_Shouto nodded once. "You just got your quirk recently, right? It's only natural that you're not used to it, so…" Shouto paused, his eyes moving to stare at the wall. "Don't beat yourself up over it."_

_Midoriya paused for a moment and then let out a soft laugh, his head tilting and smile widening._

_"Well, the same goes for you about our fight," Midoriya mentioned. "Don't take so much of the blame."_

_Shouto winced, eyes gazing back at his battered arms. "But I really was at fault."_

_"We share the blame, Todoroki," Midoriya said. "We both got lost in ourselves during that fight."_

_"Still... I'm sorry this happened to you," Shouto said._

_Midoriya shook his head and smiled fondly. "It's really nothing to worry about, but I forgive you nonetheless, Todoroki." _

_Shouto felt himself smile, and for the first time in years, he felt the ice around his heart completely break open._

_It was time to start feeling again._

* * *

There were three pairs of eyes staring at Izuku after he had choked down some of All Might's greasy DNA.

"Well?" his father asked. "Do you feel any different?"

Izuku squeezed his hands into tight fists and then released them, not feeling anything too different than the norm. His mouth and tongue felt a little dry, but other than that, his body felt somewhat the same.

"I'm not sure," Izuku said quietly. "Am I supposed to feel something?"

"Ah, not until you throw that first punch," All Might said from his place on the ground. "Squeeze your muscles together and release all the energy at once to get power."

Izuku nodded, staring down at his hands. He turned towards an empty street and took a deep breath. He locked up his muscles and reared his fist back in a typical punching stance, ready to send it forward. He could feel energy flowing through his veins and he suddenly felt giddy. All Might's power, right in his hands—his blood.

But just as he was about to throw a punch forward, a pair of arms wrapped around his and held it back.

Izuku startled and snapped his head around, thinking he was in danger, but relaxed when he saw Todoroki's concerned face.

"Todoroki, what are you doing?" Izuku asked. "I can't try this out if you're holding me back."

"You can't just throw a punch," Todoroki said.

"Huh?" Izuku asked, tilting his head. "What do you mean?"

Todoroki released his arm, allowing Izuku to rest it back by his side.

"I think the Izuku from my world also got his quirk from All Might," Todoroki said. "But he used it improperly for the first few months that I knew him."

"Improperly?" Izuku asked, wincing in confusion. "What does that mean?"

Todoroki twisted his lips. "Well, every time he used it, it broke his bones."

Izuku froze, looking down at his hand.

"Broke his bones?!" his mom exclaimed.

"Is it really that difficult to control?" his father chimed in.

"Ah, I can understand the worry," All Might said. "It is a lot of power that has been saved up for a while. If your body isn't used to it, then it can ricochet back and have negative effects on your body."

Izuku swallowed, his breaths coming in slowly through his nose.

"So, I have to balance my energy output?" Izuku asked.

Todoroki hesitated, running his hand through his hair. "Izuku explained it to me once. He said that it was like an egg in a microwave."

Izuku blinked at him. "Egg in a microwave?"

Todoroki shrugged, seemingly just as confused as Izuku was. Izuku sighed in response and thought it over. Perhaps if he could manage to hold everything back, he could test out a smaller punch, or even just a flick. Then, maybe, if he could come out with his bones still intact, then he could figure out exactly how to work this new power.

"Izuku, you're mumbling again," Todoroki mentioned.

"Ah! Right. Sorry," Izuku chirped. He glanced down at his hand and tensed his arm, his bicep flexing. "Okay, I'll give it a shot."

Izuku reared back his fist and clenched, sucking in a sharp breath through his teeth.

"Well, here it goes..." he whispered.

Izuku pushed his fist forward. A rush of energy flowed through his entire body. Little red lines started to glow along his forearm and fingers as he followed through the shallow punch.

Power thrust from his fist and spread outward, creating a wind tunnel that burst forward. It dented the ground and the nearby buildings, breaking the glass and sending debris flying everywhere.

The blast caused Izuku to fall backward, but a pair of arms caught him, steadying him carefully. He didn't have time to look back, his eyes focused on the sheer force of air and energy that propelled down the road.

Once the dust settled, Izuku squinted at the remains. He felt his jaw drop.

It was as if someone had cut out a hole through the city. Where there had once been roads, street signs, debris, vehicles and sidewalks, it was now clear—all items pushed to the sides next to the bowed-in buildings. The road was in pieces, all of the leftover debris flung far down the street next to the cars that the quirk had sent flying just before.

Izuku took deep breaths, feeling winded and shocked. He glanced down at his shaking hand and watched the red marks fade away. Green sparks still flew from his forearms, but there was nothing else amiss. His bones were still intact.

He felt hands squeeze his shoulders and he glanced up, meeting Todoroki's smiling face.

"You did it, Izuku," Todoroki said.

Izuku blinked for a moment and then offered a wobbly smile, shocked at himself but relieved he didn't break his arm.

"Good job, Young Midoriya," All Might said, giving a thumbs-up. "It seems your body is in good shape to handle the quirk."

"Mmn. You've been training most of your life with all of the patrols and things," Todoroki mentioned. "As long as you don't overdo it, it looks like you can use it."

Izuku let out a sigh of relief, thankful of his intact body. He sagged against Todoroki and gave himself a chance to catch his breath. It was amazing, this power, but it took so much energy just to throw a small punch.

"But listen here, Young Midoriya," All Might said, face turning solemn. "Having this quirk makes you a target now. Just be aware of that in the future."

Izuku took a deep breath, glancing down at his clenched fist. There was a lot of responsibility there, and he knew it. He did not want to let All Might down.

After a deep breath, Izuku nodded, standing on his own feet and letting Todoroki drop his hands from Izuku's shoulders.

"Okay. I'll practice along the way," Izuku said. "For now, we've got to get to Mori."

"What? You're leaving?" Izuku's mother said, her hands wringing each other in front of her.

"I'll come with you," his father said.

"No," Izuku said firmly. "If you go, then there won't be anyone to look after All Might and Mom."

His father opened his mouth to protest, to scold, but Todoroki put a hand on Izuku's shoulder.

"I will go with him. And I will make sure he stays safe," Todoroki said.

Izuku looked up at him and nodded. Todoroki met his eyes and nodded back, looking determined. His hand felt hot, and Izuku wondered if his anger was starting to boil. Izuku couldn't blame him. He felt the flame inside of him start to grow, as well.

"We'll try to stop Mori's quirk. Once everyone is freed and safe, then you guys join us at the prison," Izuku said.

His father nodded, albeit unwillingly. His mother had tears in her eyes but she also nodded without saying another word.

Once he received confirmation from All Might, Izuku turned to Todoroki and nodded.

"Let's get going," he said.

"Right behind you," Todoroki agreed.

"Wait," Izuku's father called, latching onto Izuku's arm. Izuku stumbled back and fell into his father's chest, wrapped up in a tight hug.

"Dad?" Izuku asked, trying to pull away.

"I still have to get to know the grown-up version of you," he said. "So try to stay in one piece, okay?"

His arms tightened around Izuku's smaller frame more snugly, and Izuku felt his chest constrict. He lifted his arms to touch his father's back—lightly, not squeezing, but the touch was there.

"I'll do my best," Izuku promised.

His father sighed, his breath tickling Izuku's ear, and then he released him, giving him a sad smile. His mother was next to wrap him in her arms, tears in her eyes, and then she kissed him on his forehead.

"Young man, even though you're almost an adult, that does not mean you can go off and get hurt. You understand?" she asked, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Yes, Mom," Izuku said with a small smile. He grabbed her hands that rested on his shoulders and carefully tugged them off. "I have to go now, but I'll be back soon."

Izuku hated to see that sad expression on his mother's face but he had to step back and turn to face Todoroki, who was fiddling with his wrists. When he caught Izuku's eye, he glanced up and straightened his back.

"Ready?" Izuku asked.

Todoroki's hands tightened into fists as he nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

The monitors were scratchy and fuzzy, the feed fading in and out.

Mori stood by impatiently scanning each screen and newsreel, but nothing was clear. Every blip or so, he could see quirk users flashing by on the screen, either destroying a building or attacking a random bystander. But within seconds, another quirk user would jump in and stop them.

It was a mess, and it seemed as if several of Mori's subordinates were being stopped by these quirk-using idiots.

Mori could feel his anger bubbling to the surface. He whirled around to face Koji, who was fidgeting in the corner next to a few armed guards.

"How many more prisoners do we have?" Mori asked.

Koji flinched at the tone, and he quickly tapped on his tablet to pull up some information. He swiped a few times and then glanced up at Mori with a sheepish expression on his face.

"That was all of them, sir," Koji said softly.

Mori growled and turned back to look at the monitors. "It can't be! We have to have more in the prisons!"

"We went through each and every one of them, sir," Koji explained. "They're all doing as you ordered."

"Well, they're so brainwashed that they can't even think to defend themselves properly!" Mori yelled. He pointed to a screen as one of his brainwashed recruits was met with an explosive palm, and a blonde, angry boy appeared on the screen. "See this?! They don't know how to strategize!"

"Well… all you did was tell them to attack the city and anyone who gets in their way," Koji said, his voice more firm. "You didn't give them any other instruction."

Mori glared at him, making Koji shrink back slightly. "Fine," Mori said gruffly. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the quirk. "I'll just command them to be smarter with their decisions."

"But all of them are out of range, sir," Koji said, and Mori snapped his eyes open. "It would be impossible to command them from here. All you could really do from here is turn off the quirk completely and—"

Mori felt his rage burst out of him, and he formed a shard of glass in his palm and flung it at Koji.

Koji yelped and ducked, the shard flying over his head and sticking into the wall a few good inches. He turned back to look at Mori in fear, his arms trembling from where they hovered above his head.

Mori's palm was torn and bloody from producing the glass. He closed his hand into a tight fist on the wound, his hand stinging. His arms began to shake and burn from overuse, all of the different quirks flowing in his veins.

But, he ignored the pain and sent his glare directly back to Koji, murderous intent clear in his eyes.

"Give me that last quirk sample you have on file," Mori demanded.

Koji shivered from the ground, shaking his head slightly. "It's too dangerous. All of those different quirks are flowing inside of you."

"You think I give a shit?" Mori barked, his anger rising even more. "Just grab it and do it."

"But your body won't be able to handle those quirks all at one—"

Mori suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Koji by the neck, pushing him until his back slammed against the wall. Koji let out a choked sound, scrambling to pry Mori's fingers off of his neck, but Mori turned his hand to steel, making it impossible to move.

"You get me that sample or I will _break your neck_," Mori threatened, his voice low and hard.

Koji, with his eyes watering and his face red, wheezed a breath and struggled to nod in Mori's grasp. Mori gave his neck one last squeeze before tossing Koji aside, letting him wheeze and struggle on the floor.

"Get ahold of yourself and get going," Mori growled as Koji scrambled to his feet. The scientist hurried out of the room, the two guards following him to make sure he carried out the job.

Mori glanced down at his arm and unclenched his fist, gazing at the wound that still bled from his palm. His arms still burned and stung. Whatever this was, he was sick of it. He was running out of time, and he needed to act now before it was too late.

A crashing sound from the monitor brought back Mori's attention to the screens.

On the screen in the middle, there was a flash, and ice and fire whirled around in a bright mixture. It sent one of Mori's men flying back, his clothes singed and frozen at the same time.

And then, a familiar face popped up. A boy with red and white hair.

"That's the Todoroki brat," he whispered to himself.

Mori's eyes widened, and then a devilish smile formed on his face.

"How interesting," he murmured.

He reached into his pocket and grabbed his communicator, quickly dialing up Koji again. He waited until he heard the click and the hoarse voice of the doctor.

"While you're at it, grab a nutrient recovery serum," Mori said. "And meet me in the underground prison cells."

* * *

Ice, fire, stones, air…

All of it was whirling around Shouto's head as he and Izuku bobbed and weaved through the city trying to avoid Mori's brainwashed victims.

Izuku was using his new quirk all over the place, presumably to get used to the new power that now flowed in his veins. Shouto could barely stay on his two feet when Izuku threw a punch, and he found himself worrying his lip with his teeth.

"Izuku! You need to be careful!" Shouto called once Izuku finished another punch on a rather large, muscular quirk-user. "You're going to break your bones if you don't take it easy!"

"Don't worry, Todoroki," Izuku called back. "I'm getting the hang of it!"

Shouto sighed and hurried by his side. "Tell that to the Izuku from my world," he said. "He broke both of his legs using that power."

"I can use my _legs?!"_

"Wait, Izuku!"

But Shouto was too late. Izuku bent his knees slightly, the green sparks flying off of his calves, and then he pushed off, sending him flying down the road.

He screamed the entire way down, "Whaaa! Todoroki!"

Shouto sighed and shook his head, hurrying to create an ice path. He jumped on top of it and created more ice as he skated down to catch up with his now incredibly-powerful friend.

"Izuku! Hold it back!" Shouto yelled, blasting off a fireball in the face of an attacker.

"I'm trying!" Izuku said as he landed hard on the road, ripping up the asphalt in the process. He finally stopped with a huff, his legs shaking. Shouto caught up with him and put a steady hand on his shoulder before he could topple over. "Wow. This… This is amazing! And you're saying that the Izuku from your world can do all this?"

"He can do more than that," Shouto said. "But let's stick with this for now. You'll be less likely to get hurt."

Before Izuku could protest, Shouto took off, flinging up a large wall of ice to block a horde of crazed clones coming straight at them.

"We've got to keep moving," Shouto called over his shoulder.

_I want to get to Mori as quickly as possible,_ Shouto thought.

"Ah, wait up!" Izuku called, hurrying to his side.

The two of them ran at full speed, avoiding people when they could and fighting back when they were attacked. They rounded the corner and swiftly crossed the street where they had been so many times before.

And there it was. The prison.

It was in sight, right there.

_Time to put an end to this madness once and for all._

"We should be able to get in from the front door," Izuku said. "It doesn't look to be heavily guarded."

Shouto nodded in agreement. The outside of the building was completely clear. Even the courtyard where dozens of prisoners had escaped from just a week before was now completely void of anyone.

"Okay. It might take a while to find Mori inside," Shouto said, to which Izuku hummed. "But we should be able to—"

Suddenly, a sharp pain squeezed inside Shouto's head, making him gasp. He staggered forward, his hands reaching up to hold his head. His vision swam a bit and his stomach felt like it was doing gymnastics. Damn, that _hurt._

"Todoroki?" Izuku's voice called, and it sounded distant. "Hey, what's wrong?!"

Shouto opened his eyes, looking down at the road. Drops of blood fell in between his feet, and he faintly realized that it was coming from his nose.

_No,_ Shouto thought. _Not now, dammit._

"Todoroki, stay with me," Izuku said, grabbing his shoulders.

Shouto fell to his knees, his nails digging into his scalp. "It… hurts."

"Hang _on,_" Izuku pleaded. "Fight it, Todoroki. I need you here, understand that?"

Shouto sucked in a breath, choking on his rapidly closing throat. "I-Izuku…"

"Todoroki!"

"Todoroki…"

"…_outo…"_

_"…Shouto!"_

_"Hey, can you hear me?!"_

Ah…

Wait…

Was that Izuku?

Izuku from his world?

_"C'mon, Shouto. You're my best friend. You've got to be hearing this, right?"_

Izuku. I can hear it.

Please, I… I want to go home.

_"Just wake up, Shouto. You can do it. Wake up and talk to us again."_

I'm trying, Izuku.

I'm trying to get back home.

_"Everyone misses you, Shouto. Even Kacchan talks about you."_

Somehow, that doesn't surprise me.

_"So… please… Shouto. Just wake up."_

I want to.

I'm going to come home to you, Izuku.

Let me go home, I—

"Todoroki, wake up, dammit! We've got a world to save!"

Oh…

But. I have to do something first… don't I?

That's right.

I… I have to stay. Just a little bit longer.

Hold out for me, Izuku.

Just a bit longer…

Just… a bit…

"Todoroki! Hey!_ Todoroki!"_

Shouto winced at Izuku's voice from above, and he opened his eyes to meet him again. He had somehow ended up on the ground, and Izuku was in the middle of shaking his shoulders. When their eyes met, Izuku froze, staring down at him with a worried look on his face.

"Are you okay?!" Izuku asked.

Shouto blinked slowly, the world still coming back into focus. His eyes scanned the nearby buildings, seeing the destruction and chaos and explosions that were everywhere, and he realized he still hadn't made it home.

He sighed, feeling both relieved and dejected at the same time. It was painful how badly he wanted to see his Izuku's smiling face again, along with the harsh scowls of Bakugou and the sharp chastisements from Iida.

_Just hold on for a bit longer, Izuku,_ Shouto thought, hoping his mind could send the message to his best friend somehow. _I'll be back when I'm done here._

"Hey, say something!" the other Izuku begged, giving Shouto another harsh shove.

Shouto blinked rapidly and then squeezed his eyes shut, hoping the world would swim a little less. But the dizziness was persistent, and it just about made him sick.

But he was here.

"I'm not gone, yet," Shouto said, rubbing his eyes.

Izuku's shoulders slumped and he sighed. "Thank goodness. I thought you were really gone this time."

Shouto gave him a dry look. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

Izuku chuckled, the sound soft in Shouto's ears. "Here, can you walk?"

Shouto paused for a moment and then tried to push himself up, but he slumped over into Izuku's arms.

"Ugh. Not unless you want me to puke," Shouto said.

Izuku sighed, patting Shouto's back. "Alright, alright. Well."

Izuku moved to crouch down in front of Shouto, his hands tucking underneath Shouto's thighs. He hoisted him up and Shouto gingerly wrapped his arms around his neck.

"I guess I'll have to tote you until your brain de-scrambles," Izuku said.

Shouto huffed out a breath. "Okay. I'll try to shake it off as quickly as possible."

Izuku nodded. "Sounds good. Be my extra eyes, okay? I'm not sure what we're about to face."

Shouto frowned. "I do," he said. "And it's not going to be pretty."

* * *

Izuku carefully maneuvered Todoroki through the belly of the prison, taking slow steps as to not jostle him nor set off any alerts. But the prison looked to be in such disarray that Izuku doubted any alarms were even turned on.

"Do you have any idea where he would be?" Izuku asked.

Todoroki hummed sadly. "No. I'm not well-versed with this place."

Izuku sighed. "The layout is big. He could literally be anywhere."

"That's assuring," Todoroki said, his words slurring a bit.

"Maybe we should check the top?" Izuku suggested.

"Mmn. He could be up there."

They began the steady climb up the stairs. Izuku was glad for his sudden addition of strength, thanks to All Might's quirk. Not that Todoroki was heavy per se, but all the flights of stairs would've been rough on Izuku's knees.

"How's your head?" Izuku asked.

Todoroki hummed into Izuku's shoulder. "Still dizzy."

"Damn," Izuku cursed. "I could use your strength, here."

"What, am I too heavy for you?" Todoroki chimed.

"N-Not at all!" Izuku squeaked softly. "Th-This new quirk definitely makes it easier! And I know that I don't quite have the hang of it, yet, I mean I know it's not _my_ quirk, after all, and—"

"I'm messing with you," Todoroki said.

"Y-Yeah. Right," Izuku said.

They climbed a few more sets of stairs in silence, Izuku keeping a lookout for anything suspicious. It was eerily quiet on their way up, Todoroki barely shifting as Izuku walked up each step.

They carried on like this for two more flights until Todoroki spoke.

"'It's your power,'" Todoroki said.

Izuku quirked a brow, glancing over his shoulder to look at him. "What?"

Todoroki paused. "That's what you said to me once. Well, not _you_ specifically, but… the Izuku from my world."

He paused again, Izuku's footsteps echoing in the stairwell.

"It was during a fight," Todoroki said. "Back then, I refused to use my fire."

Izuku blinked and then furrowed his brows. "Why would you do that?"

"To spite my father," Todoroki said.

"Endeavor?" Izuku clarified.

"Yeah. I hated that side of me because it came from him. I thought that if I used it, I would become more like him," Todoroki said. "But Izuku taught me that it was my own power, not his. It took breaking his own arms to show me that."

Izuku winced at that, now understanding why Todoroki seemed so worried about him using All Might's quirk. Todoroki must've seen a lot of gruesome sights.

"He taught me to embrace my quirk as my own, and now I've caught up to where I want to be," Todoroki said. "The same could be said for you."

"Me?" Izuku asked, taking another step.

"Mmn," Todoroki hummed. "While All Might gave you that quirk, it's yours now. So embrace that."

Izuku managed a small smile, his eyes watering slightly. He sniffed everything back and mumbled a quiet thanks in appreciation, his hands squeezing Todoroki's thighs.

The stairwell ended and they entered into a door on one of the higher floors. It was a long, open room with tall ceilings and dim lights. It was eerily quiet still, so Izuku kept walking forward in search of Mori.

"So… to spite your dad, huh?" Izuku asked.

Todoroki huffed. "Yeah. I was pretty dramatic."

Izuku smiled. "Is he really that bad of a guy?"

Todoroki inhaled to answer, but a few footsteps in the room made him pause. And then, a deep voice called out to them.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Izuku whirled around and saw two figures standing on the other side of the room, one a normal height while the other was looming and bulky. They stepped under one of the dim lights, and Izuku could see bright red hair and blue, murky eyes. The other man standing next to him was none other than Mori.

Izuku was about to shout and charge at them, but he felt Todoroki's hands tighten around his neck.

"Father?" he whispered in his ear.

Izuku inhaled sharply and then glanced back to see the two men in front of him. The other tall man looked disheveled and rugged, but now that Todoroki had mentioned it, it truly was the hero Endeavor. So he _had_ been alive all these years, but just trapped in this terrible place.

"I didn't think I would meet you brats here so soon, but oh well," Mori said. "Guess I'll have to try this experiment here."

Izuku frowned, staring down Mori with a glare on his face. He gripped Todoroki's thighs.

"Todoroki, can you stand?" Izuku asked.

Todoroki fisted Izuku's shirt, his voice frustrated as he grit out a low, "Not yet."

Izuku nodded and then slowly lowered to the ground to put Todoroki down.

"Okay. I'll hold them off until you get your strength back," Izuku said.

"No, Izuku. Don't," Todoroki said. "Don't do this alone. Let's fall back and come up with a plan."

"You've already saved me so much, Todoroki," Izuku said. "Let me take care of things for once."

He dropped into a crouch, green sparks shooting from his legs and arms as he charged up his quirk. Then, he launched himself up, creating a small crater in the floor.

"Izuku!" Todoroki called after him.

Izuku aimed directly for Mori, rearing his fist back. He would take on Mori and end this once and for all.

He was closing in, his fist ready to make contact.

"Izuku, watch out!"

Suddenly, a spark of light flashed in Izuku's peripheral, and a hot blaze nearly scorched his skin. He fell to the ground, a few feet from Mori, and ducked until the blaze died off. Once the heat was gone, he glanced up to see Endeavor staring him down with cold, threatening eyes.

"Ah, I see you've met my dear, old friend," Mori said, gazing down at him with a sinister smirk. "Why don't you give him a try?"

Izuku sucked in a harsh breath and then glanced up at the former hero.

How…

How was he going to beat _him?!_


	20. Chapter 20

Hi, guys! Thank you for all the comments and favorites/follows on this fic! You guys have been truly amazing :)

* * *

Chapter 20

* * *

_"You're getting better with controlling your left side."_

_Shouto wiped off his face with a towel, the sweat still clinging to his neck. It had been another training session with his father, and it was exhausting. Since he was older, his father had turned up the training just a notch. He always wondered how his father could make the training so difficult year after year. _

_He didn't think he would be here in this situation again, training in that same damn room that he had grown to hate for so many years. He still hated it now, but the hatred was a little less than before. It was more like an annoying ache in his chest rather than the burning flame of rage that used to sit there on his heart._

_"Yeah," Shouto finally answered, dropping the towel into his bag. He zipped it up, ready to leave as soon as possible. He had to get ready for school to start in a few days._

_"This is your final year at UA," his father said. "You will graduate soon."_

_Shouto glanced at him, blinking slowly. "Yeah?" _

_What was his father getting at? _

"Have you considered which agency you will join after you graduate?" his father asked, his arms folded across his chest.

_Ah. So there it was. _

_Shouto frowned as he stared down at his duffle bag. He had dreaded having this talk with him for months. It was only a matter of time after his second year of school finished, so he avoided his father altogether—reverting back to his first year of ignoring phone calls and texts. But when the break came, all students were released from the dorms to go home. Shouto even asked Nezu and Aizawa if he could stay in the dorms, but they both said that the dorms would be under construction._

_Of course, the dorms were under construction._

_"I haven't given it much thought," Shouto answered. He was itching to leave._

_"You always have a spot at my agency," his father responded. "You would excel quickly, and your ranking would be in the top ten in your first year as a pro."_

_Shouto cut his eyes at his father. Was he still blabbing on about rankings? "I'm not sure I'm interested."_

_His father lowered his flaming brows over his eyes and stared at Shouto hard. Shouto could tell he wanted to tell and protest, but his father was holding himself back for some reason or another._

_Shouto released an annoyed huff. He wanted to get back to school to set up his dorm room again._

_"I'm leaving," Shouto said bluntly. He moved to the door and grabbed the handle, ready to slide it open._

_"I was thinking of getting your mother an apartment for herself."_

_Shouto froze, every muscle in his body going slack as jelly for a moment before immediately tensing up and stiffening like cement._

_He turned his head towards his father, waiting for an explanation._

_"She seems to be doing better since all of you have been visiting often," his father said. _

_Shouto narrowed his eyes. "What are you getting at?"_

_His father paused. "Her doctors have informed me that she is well enough to leave. I was just considering getting her an apartment that would be close to the agency."_

_Shouto felt his heart nearly burst in anger._

_"So you're using her as a bargaining chip?" Shouto asked. "A bribe to get me to come to your agency?"_

_"Not... Not a bribe. But an offer," his father responded. "I thought that if she were close to the agency, you could visit her more often. It would be more convenient."_

_"And what about her? Would that be convenient for _her_ to be that close to _you?" _Shouto nearly snarled at him. He could feel his pulse rising with every word he spoke._

_He expected his father to lash out just as much, but the flamed man remained quiet for a moment. His eyes were downcast and he seemed deep in thought. _

_"I told you a few years ago that I wanted to be the type of hero you could be proud of. And I believe I have reached that point," his father began. Shouto still kept his glare on his face. "But now... I want to be the type of father that you could be proud of."_

_Shouto stood still as stone, his jaw slack in shock. He felt a strange mixture of emotions swirling around inside of him, varying from anger to confusion. _

_He decided to hold back on all emotions and he stuck with dull complacency._

_"I'll think about it," Shouto said. He slid the door open and paused in the doorway. "I may go solo instead."_

_His father hummed quietly and almost seemed to pout like a petulant child. But he sighed softly and nodded, as if to himself. "Whatever you choose, I will be proud."_

_Shouto turned his gaze away and left the room without another word. He wasn't sure if he should've accepted that so quietly. Part of him had been tempted to tell him off, telling him exactly where he could stuff that pride. But something had stopped him from saying anything at all, and he couldn't quite put a finger on why. _

_Shouto tried not to dwell on it, but for the whole first week of his final year, it was all he could think about._

* * *

Shouto breathed out slowly in an attempt to recover his body.

His body still felt heavy from passing out, but his heart was fluttering wildly in his chest. He thought he was going to be sick.

His father, or the other version of his father, was staring down Izuku with the intent to kill. He hadn't seen that look on his father's face before. Sure, he had seen him angry. Furious, even. But never like this. Never wanting to actually murder someone in cold blood.

"Go on, dear boy," Mori goaded, gesturing towards Izuku. "Show me what you've really got."

Izuku stood in front of Shouto, his back suddenly wide and protective. He reached up to grab onto his wrist, trying to pull him back, but his weak body could barely make Izuku budge.

"Don't do this, Izuku," Shouto said. "Let's just get out of here. Regroup until I get back on my feet."

Izuku paused for a moment and glanced back to Shouto's father. He shook his head, and gently pried Shouto's hand from his wrist.

"Sorry, Todoroki. But we've got a city to save, remember?" he asked. He faced Endeavor and Mori head on, green sparks starting to fly off of his arms. "And to get to Mori, we've got to get through Endeavor first."

Shouto grit his teeth. "You don't know what he's capable of! My father is incredibly powerful!"

Izuku crouched down and powered up his legs. "We'll see just how powerful he is against All Might's strength!"

And then, Izuku pushed himself from the ground, making the floor nearly crumble and shake apart. Shouto reached out his hand to him to try to grab him but it was too late. Izuku was already barreling towards Endeavor at top speed.

"Izuku!" Shouto called. "Damn it, legs! Work!"

While Shouto pounded his fists on his thighs to get sensation back into them, he watched in concern as his friend landed a punch to his father's cheek. Endeavor burst into hot flames, making Izuku jump back and put up his fists to block the heat from lapping at his face.

"Careful now or you could get burned," Mori said, a sly smile on his face.

Izuku growled and ran back towards Endeavor, powering up his new quirk. He reared his fist back and threw it forward, creating a wind tunnel and shoved both Mori and Endeavor back.

The two men flew towards the wall, Endeavor catching himself before he could fall while Mori turned his left fingers into jagged blades. His fingers dug into the floor, making him slide to a stop before his back could touch the wall.

"This brat…" Mori mumbled. He looked over to Endeavor and pointed towards Izuku, his calm and confident façade quickly crumbling as panic and rage took over. "What are you waiting for?! Go kill him!"

Endeavor extended his arm in Izuku's direction and ignited his arm, the flames shooting out in a hot beam. Izuku moved to dodge the flames with his quirk, but Shouto could see a flicker of flames eating away at the hip of his costume.

"Izuku!" Shouto called. Shouto grit his teeth and started to massage his thighs, begging them to start moving. "Come _on."_

He started to get feeling back into his legs, and he could feel his quirk flowing through his veins. He breathed out some steam, his left side feeling warm and his right side feeling cold.

There. He was almost there.

"Sir!"

Shouto turned his gaze and saw another man in a white lab coat running towards Mori, a needle in his grasp. What in the hell was _that? _It couldn't be another quirk, could it?

Another sound caught Shouto's ear, and he glanced over to see Izuku still battling his father, using his legs to move swiftly from side to side to avoid the walls of flames.

Damn it, Shouto thought. He was overdoing it too quickly. If Izuku kept up this pace, he would tire out. Or worse, break every damn bone in his body.

Just from watching his Izuku train the past three years at UA, he's noticed how taxing his quirk was. Whenever Izuku was free, he was working out in some capacity. And it wasn't that this alternative version of Izuku was unfit, but he certainly didn't train every day to use such a powerful quirk.

Shouto went back to work on his legs and arms to get feeling flowing back through them.

Meanwhile, Izuku took that moment to counterattack. As Endeavor tried to aim him down with a blast of fire, he pivoted to the right and pushed himself off of the floor with his quirk, hurling himself at Endeavor and trying to land another punch.

But this Endeavor, being the former hero, stepped two feet to the left and dodged Izuku's blow. He lifted his hand and sent a huge blast of hot fire at Izuku, and all Shouto heard was his high-pitched scream.

"AH!"

Shouto snapped his head up, watching as Izuku fell to the ground, holding his side. It was singed, a few spots of blood peeking through from the burn. Endeavor was heading towards him, the edges of his fire turning a bit blue.

"No, no, no," Shouto muttered.

He saw Izuku crawling backwards, one hand still glued to his side, as Endeavor approached him.

"Giving in so quickly?" Mori asked.

Izuku grit his teeth and glared up at Mori with fury in his eyes. He tried to push himself up from the ground when Endeavor kicked him in the ribs, sending him flopping back a few feet.

"Izuku!" Shouto yelled, fire flickering on his shoulder. He startled at the sensation, looking down at his hands. His body was responding again. And knowing this, Shouto knew he had to do something. And fast.

"Go ahead and finish him off," Mori commanded. "Once he's out of the way, go for your son. This should be quite a good show."

Endeavor reached out his hand towards Izuku, just as Izuku raised his hand towards the flame hero, his arm sputtering out a few green sparks. The fire erupted from Endeavor's hand, very blue and very hot. Izuku moved to throw another punch, but Shouto knew he wouldn't be fast enough.

So Shouto made the first move on his own.

His right arm shot out, creating a large, thick wall of ice that traveled in front of Izuku and blocked the hot flames before they could reach his face.

Izuku jumped and whipped his head around, staring at Shouto with large, surprised eyes.

"Todoroki!" he yelled.

"What the hell?" Mori snarled.

Shouto kept refreezing the ice wall over and over to stop the flames from penetrating, and he made his ice as cold as his body would allow.

When the flames diminished, Shouto panted, letting his ice-covered arm drop to his side. He turned to Mori, ignoring the large mass of ice blocking Endeavor's path, and he glared menacingly.

"You will _not_ hurt my friend," Shouto threatened.

Mori frowned and then he turned to Endeavor from beyond the ice. "Kill them already! Kill them both, you useless hero!"

Endeavor stuttered forward, firing off more hot, blue flames towards the ice to break through. Shouto sucked in a breath and heated his left side, getting his flames ready. He reached towards his utility belt and grabbed some cream and bandages. He threw them down on the floor next to Izuku's feet.

"Patch yourself up," Shouto commanded. "I'll take care of my father."

"Ah, Todoroki!" Izuku called. He tried to call Shouto back, but Endeavor broke through the ice wall, his flames roaring and crackling.

Shouto rushed forward, igniting his flames and pushed a wall of fire forward against his father's, trying to push him back.

"Ah, what a display!" Mori cackled. "Now then, you useless hero! Finish him off! Show him how _valuable_ you are to society!"

Endeavor let out a frustrated grunt, pushing his flames forward and making the wall higher and hotter. The materials around him started to melt or catch fire, the flames reaching the ceiling.

Shouto's eyes blurred from the amount of sweat that dripped into them, and his body swayed from overuse of his left side. He needed to balance himself out or he was well on his way to passing out.

Damn it, he thought as he closed his eyes. He was going to lose.

_"Get up!"_

Shouto snapped his eyes open, feeling that annoying voice in his head.

_"Get up and fight me back!"_

Deep breaths.

In through the nose.

Out through the mouth.

_"How are you going to be a hero if you don't fight back?"_

I'm trying, Shouto answered his father's voice. I'm doing what I can.

_"It's not good enough, Shouto! If you cannot defeat me, then how do you expect to be the number one hero?"_

This is different, Shouto told the voice. This was… much different.

_"It's not!"_

Shouto grit his teeth and stared down at the alternate version of his father standing in front of him, still battling each other for dominance with their flames.

_"You have to surpass me, Shouto!"_

Surpass? He could certainly reach his father's level, but to surpass him? Especially when he is in this trance?

It was impossible. He wasn't a full-fledged hero, yet.

He hadn't even graduated high school!

_"Push, Shouto!"_

I'm trying! Shouto yelled inside his head.

He could feel his foot slipping as the flames started to push him backwards.

_"Push!"_

The heat was overwhelming. Shouto was sure he would pass out soon. There was no way he could withstand this much.

At this rate, he would never become powerful. Would he even make the top ten?

What would Izuku think?

_"Become the hero that I could never be!"_

Shouto blinked, his heart pounding. Had his father really said that to him in the past?

Become… a hero that he could never be.

Is that what all his training was for?

No.

He wasn't going to become a hero for his old man.

Shouto stomped his right foot down and created ice that secured his foot to the floor and gave him leverage to use his next attack. He glared up at his old man in front of him and pushed out his left hand further, thinking back on all of his training with him, with his friends at UA, with the teachers, with Izuku…

He could surpass his father. Especially if it meant protecting his friends.

He was going to become the man that he wanted to be!

Shouto glanced back at Izuku, who was staring wide-eyed and concerned, frozen in place behind him. Shouto thought of the Izuku back in his world and how concerned he must've been through all of this.

_I'm sorry, Izuku._ _I'll be home when I can, _Shouto tried to tell him. _But I've got to take care of my old man, first._

Shouto heated up his left side even more, the fire burning bright blue. It roared and licked at his costume, melting and singing it down his side. Once the flames were nice and hot, making Shouto dizzy with the amount of heat, he released a breath and pushed forward with everything he had.

In front of him, Endeavor tried to push back with his own flames.

But Shouto's flames started to overpower the great flame hero's power.

"What in the hell are you doing?!" Mori yelled. "Finish him!"

Endeavor struggled to move against the bright blue flames, his flames starting to diminish.

Shouto kept up his wall of flames, staring beyond them and into his father's cold, blue eyes.

"Go on, do it!" Mori screamed from the side. "Don't let that brat beat you, dammit!"

Shouto pressed forward, the flames pushing back the flame

"Burn those flames and kill your son!"

Endeavor suddenly startled, his body shifting and his eyes widening. The blue of his irises flashed, suddenly becoming clear. It was as if he had woken up from a dream.

"My… son?" Endeavor muttered.

The flames coming from his arms and palms suddenly snuffed out, and steam rose from his shoulders.

Shouto quickly extinguished his own flames and stumbled backwards from exhaustion, his head dizzy from overuse.

"Todoroki!"

A pair of hands suddenly caught him by the shoulders, easing him to the ground, and when he looked up, Izuku's concerned eyes met his. Then they both looked back towards Endeavor, watching as the man stumbled forward, his eyes squinting hard at Shouto.

"What in the—Don't just stand there!" Mori yelled. "Go after him!"

Mori put out his hand towards him and it turned to ice suddenly, his eyes bulging.

"What the hell?!" he yelled. He pulled his arm back and shook the ice off. "Damn it. What's the meaning of this?!"

"You're overloading yourself, so now the mind control doesn't work anymore!" the man next to Mori said frantically. "You have too many quirks inside of you! It's too much to control all at once!"

"Shut up, you fool!" Mori yelled, turning back to Endeavor. "Todoroki Enji, I command you to go and kill your son! _Now!"_

But Endeavor remained planted where he stood, his eyes watching Shouto carefully. His face was an odd mixture of surprise and fondness, something Shouto had never seen on his father's face before.

"Sh… Shouto?" Endeavor called out, making Shouto startle. "Is… Is that really you?"

Shouto gulped, watching his father struggle as he tried to take steps forward towards him. Shouto stood up on his own and hurried to meet him before he could collapse.

"Damn it, you old man. Do you really have to do things your own way?" Shouto asked, holding up his father by his arm.

"Hmph. I see you've grown into a stubborn young man," Endeavor said gruffly. Shouto felt his chest flutter at that. He was bound to stay stubborn towards his old man for as long as he lived.

Endeavor sighed, hanging his head and letting all of his flames die out. "I'm thankful that you are alive, my son."

The fluttery feeling immediately vanished as a lead weight dropped into his stomach. How was he going to explain to him that he wasn't really _this_ Endeavor's son?

Shouto cleared his throat. "Um… Father, I—"

"Todoroki, look out!"

Suddenly, a large glass shard flew into Endeavor's chest.

Shouto didn't even have time to _breathe_ let alone react.

Endeavor sputtered out blood, his hand coming up to reach the shard that had pierced his torso. Shouto also reached out, wide-eyed and dumbstruck and unsure of what the hell to even do to help the man. But Endeavor landed hard on his knees, and Shouto crouched in front of him and held his shoulders to prevent him from falling either way. A million possibilities ran through his mind as he tried to come up with a plan on how to save him.

But Shouto already knew that anything they did would be a lost cause.

"Sh-Shouto," Endeavor called painfully, glancing up at him with heavy eyelids. "You're alive."

Shouto winced, eyes briefly looking back at Izuku before going back to holding his father's gaze.

"Yeah. I made it," Shouto said.

"And you're strong. That's good," Endeavor said. "You just might be powerful enough to stop this madness."

Shouto lowered his brows and puffed up his chest, feeling determined. "I'm going to stop this clown before he destroys the rest of the planet," he said. "It's a promise."

Endeavor let out a weak, wet chuckle and managed a strange smile. It wasn't manic like his smiles usually were, but it looked genuine, which made Shouto's stomach flip.

"Good. Fight… and become the hero… you always were meant to be."

With those last few words, Endeavor slumped forward, falling completely to the ground. He let out a last breath and his shoulders and back sagged as the last of his life left him for good.

Shouto stood still as stone. He knew it was going to happen, but to actually see it in front of his eyes was…

It was like the fight between his father and the nomu that Dabi released a few years ago. He had come so close to knocking on death's door that Shouto fell sick for that entire evening. He never told Izuku how much his temperature fluctuated from the stress, but it was enough to make him stuck in bed for hours.

And now, even though this man was not the version of his father, it still felt as if the world stopped turning. He had spent his entire life trying to escape this man, and now he has the opportunity to actually understand what it would feel like to be without his overbearing presence in his life.

And yet… he didn't feel better. His eyes even burned, dammit.

"Todoroki…" Izuku called, grabbing his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Shouto nodded slowly, almost unsure of where he was. "Yeah. Yeah, we'll… we don't have time for this now," he said, standing to his feet. He glanced over to Mori and Mr. Labcoat next to him. They were arguing, Mori clearly frustrated, ready to burst into a fit. "We've got bigger things to deal with for now."

Izuku seemed hesitant, but he nodded and helped Shouto to stand, his head swiveling to stare at the other two in the corner.

"Give me that sample!" Mori commanded.

Mr. Labcoat next to him hesitated, his eyes looking at the needle and then back to Mori. Then, he frowned harshly and shook his head.

"No. No, this isn't right! I won't let you!" he yelled.

Mori's face twisted into pure rage and he grabbed the man by the throat, his arm struggling to turn into something other than his flesh. The man struggled in Mori's grasp, his hands dropping the needle and clawing at Mori's fingers to try to break free. But Mori continued to squeeze the man's neck until it snapped, and the man was limp in his grasp. He tossed the lifeless body aside and then grabbed the needle, staring down at it like it was his only prized possession remaining.

"Todoroki, we've got to stop him before he injects that quirk inside of his body!" Izuku said.

Shouto nodded, and then they were both rushing forward. Izuku's quirk crackled to life with his green sparks while Shouto launched a giant ice wall towards him, trying to trap him.

But Mori quickly rose up a concrete wall from the floor, making both Izuku and Shouto run into it with their quirks. Mori hurried to the side and held the needle above his arm, ready to stab himself.

"Drop that needle!" Izuku shouted, pushing off of the ground with his legs.

Mori frowned and quickly turned his left arm into hard steel, blocking Izuku's powerful punch. He shoved Mori back several feet but it did no damage to his arm.

Shouto quickly caught up and sent out a tunnel of hot fire towards Mori, but Mori canceled the quirk in his arm and used a quirk in his leg that made him leap into the air to dodge the fire completely.

Mori soared up to the high ceiling and landed on one of the beams of the rafters, out of reach for both Shouto and Izuku.

"Don't you get it now, you fools?!" Mori yelled down to them. "I am the strongest there is! There is no one that can stop me!"

Izuku glanced to Shouto. "We've got to get up there!"

Shouto knelt down and put his right palm to the ground.

"Hold on!" he told Izuku, and he created a pillar of ice underneath their feet. It lifted them up quickly, Shouto keeping his hand on the pillar to create more ice to lift them higher towards Mori.

"You want to have a quirk-filled paradise?!" Mori yelled, holding the needle to his arm.

"We're not gonna make it!" Izuku shouted.

Shouto frowned, trying to make his ice faster. They were just underneath the rafters where Mori stood when the evil, crazed man spoke again.

"Then fine! Let me show you what having quirks in this world can do!" Mori yelled, pressing the needle into his arm.

"No!" Izuku yelled, reaching out with his quirk-charged arm.

But before Izuku could even throw a punch, Mori let out a loud scream, and a red smoke blew from his body. The blast from the smoke of the new quirk sent Izuku and Shouto flying off of the ice pillar.

"Izuku!" Shouto called, reaching forward and grabbing his forearm. He pulled Izuku close and quickly created a ramp of ice, allowing them to tumble safely to the ground.

They flopped to the ground and then both quickly raised their heads up towards the ceiling.

The smoke was too thick to see, but Mori's screams still echoed in the large space.

"What kind of quirk does he have now?" Shouto asked, trying to squint through the red smoke.

"I'm not sure," Izuku said, shaking his head.

Then, the building started to shake. The rafters creaked and bent under a new, tremendous pressure, and a large creature started to rise out of the smoke, its size growing larger and larger. Its skin was tainted red with rivulets of blood dripping down the appendages.

It got so big that it burst through the ceiling, sending lights and debris crashing down. The smoke rose up through the new hole and Shouto and Izuku could finally see the creature's face.

It looked like a muscled, bloodied version of Mori.

"Is... Is that Mori?" Izuku asked, voice quivering out of nervousness.

Shouto swallowed, just as nervous, and stared up at the horrifying creature that now loomed above them.

"I think so," Shouto said.

Mori's growth finally peaked and then stopped, making him tower well above the roof of the building. He let out a vicious roar, one that was loud enough to hurt Shouto's ears.

"Damn this, he's huge!" Izuku yelled, covering his own ears. "What's the plan?"

Shouto grit his teeth, feeling the pain of his jaw as he clamped it tight.

Mori had completely turned into a monster.

"Todoroki," Izuku called again, grabbing his attention.

Shouto grimaced, sizing up the red monster from above. The creature glanced down at Izuku and Shouto and released another roar. He then jumped down from the rafters and landed on the ground in front of them, the floor denting and almost crumbling beneath his large, reddish feet.

Now that Mori was up close, it almost seemed as if his skin had turned inside-out—thick veins covered his entire new body, the skin pink and swollen. The drops of blood still flowed over his arms and legs and dripped onto the tile floor.

It was sickening.

"Now… you will see…" Mori's voice was like gravel and smoke as he spoke, taking a step towards the boys. He lifted up his arm and allowed a long, thick string of blood to seep out, and then he hardened it into a sharp sword. "…just how powerful… I have become."

Mori swiped the blood-sword down, making Shouto and Izuku dodge and jump to the side. And when they looked back, they noticed a large gash in the tile floor close to where they stood.

Shouto and Izuku stared in shock at the damage, both of them looking towards Mori.

"This… could be a problem," Izuku said.

Shouto nodded. "Yeah."

Izuku paused. "Got a plan?"

"Not really," Shouto said as he shook his head. His gaze landed back on Mori. "Just that we need to take him down."

Izuku nodded. "Good. We have the same plan, then," he said. He also faced Mori and powered up his arms and legs with All Might's quirk. "Ready to put that plan into action?"

Shouto heated his left side and cooled his right, breathing out a puff of steam.

"Let's do this."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

* * *

"Bakugou, watch out!"

Bakugou jumped at the sound of his name and turned his head back just in time to see a giant fist coming his way. He ducked out of the way and threw his palm forward to blast the attacker right in the face. The brainwashed victim let out a cry and flew across the road, bouncing several times before skidding to a halt next to a building.

Bakugou let out a slow breath, feeling the sweat slide down his brow. He heard a patter of feet next to him, followed by heaving breathing.

"Wow, that was close." Kirishima saddled up beside of him, panting and looking more worn than Bakugou had ever seen him.

"Yeah," Bakugou agreed. He quirked a brow at him. "Are you runnin' out of steam? It looks like you can't stay hardened."

Kirishima smiled, the lines in his face showing visible signs of exhaustion. He waved his hand and let out a small chuckle.

"What, are you worried about me, Bakugou? That's so sweet," Kirishima teased.

He laughed, but Bakugou could see the tremor in his hands as he flexed his fingers and wriggled them. The battle was starting to get too difficult. Even Bakugou, with all his amazing stamina, was beginning to tire.

Bakugou was starting to wonder if this madness would ever end.

"Ack!"

A rumbling sound echoed in the distance, and Kaminari flopped on the ground near their feet covered in dust and grime.

"Denki!" Kirishima yelled, hurrying to his side. Bakugou followed and watched Kirishima kneel down by Kaminari's feet. He helped Kaminari to sit up, his arm cradling his shoulders. "Are you okay?"

Kaminari coughed and winced, and Bakugou could see that his clothes were covered in dust and mud. The boy was also holding his arm, some blood oozing from what looked like a stab wound.

"I k-keep shocking m-m-myself," Kaminari stuttered, his body trembling. "S-S-So I couldn't stop them f-f-from attacking."

"Just take it easy for now, okay?" Kirishima said. He curled his fingers into a fist and hardened it slightly. "We can handle it for now."

Bakugou wasn't convinced of that. Kirishima's hardened fist already went back to being soft skin. Bakugou's own palms felt raw from overuse, his fingers trembling. There were no signs of their other friends in the vicinity, so calling out for help would be useless at this point.

As much as he hated to admit it, he knew they needed to get out of there.

"Kirishima, we need to find shelter," Bakugou said.

Kirishima whipped his head up to look at Bakugou. "What?"

"You heard me!" Bakugou shouted. "Grab Sparky and let's find somewhere safe to hide out until our strength comes back!"

Kirishima furrowed his brows, most likely in disbelief. "No. No way, we can't just give up!"

"We're not giving up," Bakugou tried to explain. "We're just buying time until—"

Before he could finish his sentence, the earth beneath their feet shook, and a glob of mud and rocks rose from the ground, forming two hands and a distorted face.

"What the—Is his quirk using mud or something?!" Kirishima yelped.

"Th-That's what a-a-attacked me earlier," Kaminari said. "B-B-But my quirk didn't aff-ffect it."

The mud monster let out a loud, garbled roar and started to fling giant gobs of mud and rocks towards them. Kirishima stood to his feet and hardened his body, but it immediately went back to normal. He glanced down at his hands in shock, worry flitting across his face.

"Ah, my quirk—" Kirishima started, glancing to Bakugou in fear.

Bakugou let out a frustrated cry and put both of his palms forward, blasting the rocks and mud out of the air before it could reach their tired bodies. He released a tense breath and lowered his hands to his sides, feeling far too winded to even take a step. He looked up at the monster in front of him, hoping he would also be in the same state, but he was wrong.

The mud monster regenerated his lost mud and rocks, pulling it back to his grimy body and even increasing in size. He let out another terrifying roar and started to charge towards the three.

"What the hell?! Doesn't this thing ever quit?" Bakugou shouted, annoyed and aggravated.

He lifted his hands again and pushed his palms outward towards the monster to blast him back, but all that came out of his hands were smoke. Bakugou grit his teeth and tried again, but after getting the same result, he sighed and lowered his shaking hands to his sides. He gazed as the monster kept coming towards them, and he closed his eyes, bracing for the impact.

"Get back, kid!"

Suddenly, he was yanked backward, and he stumbled back a few steps. He met with Aizawa's back and watched as the man's black hair stood on their ends.

The mud monster suddenly stopped in its tracks, and the mud melted to the ground, dropping the rocks to the pavement below. Underneath all of that dirt and stones was a small man, his clothes tattered and covered in mud.

Once the man was revealed underneath all of that dirt, Aizawa reached for his scarf around his neck and cast it forward, locking the man in a tight hold. He yanked it forward and gave the man a swift punch in the temple. The man blacked out immediately and fell limp in Aizawa's scarf.

Aizawa released a breath, and his hair fell back to his shoulders. He yanked his scarf back and wrapped it around his neck. Once it was secured back in place, he turned back to look at the three. Bakugou almost startled at the state of the man's bloodshot eyes.

"Whoa, what the hell?" Bakugou said, reeling back some. "What's with your face?"

Aizawa looked like he wanted to roll his eyes, but he moved his gaze towards Kaminari and Kirishima on the ground.

"It's getting a little chaotic out here. People are getting hurt," Aizawa said, gesturing towards Kaminari. "We've got to change something up."

"Yeah, no shit," Bakugou scoffed, folding his arms across his chest. "What do you suggest? 'Cause doing this over and over again ain't working."

Aizawa looked hesitant, his eyes gazing back to the destruction in the city. He sighed and closed his reddened eyes and shook his head.

"That's just it. I don't have a clue," Aizawa said. "Unless we storm the prison and find Mori himself, or kill all of these innocent people, then I don't know of a better way."

"Tch. Then let's go get that bastard!" Bakugou said.

Aizawa quirked a brow. "In your state? I think not."

Bakugou growled, his hands in shaking fists. "Well, you're not tough shit, either, you crypt keeper! And what else are we supposed to do, hah?! Just sit here?"

"Watch your tone," Aizawa quipped.

"Why?! Why the hell does—"

"Guys, watch out!" Kirishima suddenly called, reaching out his hand.

Bakugou and Aizawa turned away from their bickering to see another crazed victim barreling towards them, his body covered in spikes. Bakugou put up his fists, smoke coming from his palms, and Aizawa reached for his scarf, but the man was too fast, almost barreling right into them.

The two braced for impact, Aizawa putting out an arm to block the man from reaching Bakugou.

But just as the man's spikes nearly touched Aizawa's skin, he stopped in his tracks. He blinked for a moment or two and then glanced down at his hands.

"W… What?" he muttered. He retracted the spikes back into his skin and glanced up at Aizawa and Bakugou. "I'm… I'm free."

Bakugou's eyes widened in shock, and he glanced to Aizawa for some sort of response. But the man was just as shocked as he was, his bloodshot eyes staring back at their former attacker.

"Are… Are they out of Mori's control?" Kirishima asked from the ground.

Aizawa raised a brow and glanced around the now-quiet and calm city. "I don't know yet."

More people who were once under Mori's control started to walk down the streets in awe, staring up at the results of their own destruction. The rumblings and explosions quickly dissipated as each quirk user stopped attacking and regained their consciousness.

Soon enough, Bakugou could spot the familiar faces of his former housemates starting to gather together, luckily all looking mostly unharmed. He sighed and ran his hands through his spiky hair.

"Okay. Is this all over now, or what?" Bakugou asked.

"Not… quite."

Bakugou and Aizawa, along with Kirishima and Kaminari, all turned to see three people slowly making their way towards them. There were two men; one was short and had cheeks covered in freckles, and he was holding up a skinny blond man.

The third person was a familiar face. A face that Bakugou hadn't seen in _years_.

"Mrs. Midoriya?" Bakugou found himself whispering.

Inko looked at him and stared for a moment, not really understanding the connection. But then, her face lit up in recognition and her eyes filled with tears.

"Oh, my. Katsuki, is that you?" she asked, her voice wobbling.

Bakugou bit his tongue and nodded once, swallowing down the tears of relief that wanted to crawl up his throat.

Inko smiled and rushed over to him, taking him in her arms to hold him in the way only a mother could. After he was separated from his parents, she became the only parent he could depend on. He thought he would never see her again.

"It's so good to see you," she said. "You've all grown up so much."

Bakugou sighed, the lump in his throat finally vanishing. He stepped back to look at her face.

"All of us?" he echoed. "Did you run into De—Izuku?"

Inko nodded. "Yes. He and his friend went to—"

"Yagi," Aizawa called, his voice tight.

Bakugou watched as Aizawa knelt down beside the blond-haired man and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"What happened? Why are you in this form?" Aizawa asked.

This form? Bakugou wondered. Who the hell was this?

"He's too weak and injured to continue," the man next to him said. "He gave Izuku his power."

"What?!" Aizawa exclaimed. "You already handed it down?"

"I had no choice," the skinny man answered. "Those boys were determined to stop Mori no matter what. So I had to."

Bakugou groaned and ran his palm down his face in aggravation. "Enough with this! Will someone please tell me what the _hell_ is going—"

Suddenly, a crashing sound erupted at the prison, and everyone whirled around to see the roof of the building collapsing. A loud roar echoed into the air as deformed head and shoulders poked out.

Kirishima gasped and tightened his hold on Kaminari's shoulders. "W-What is that?"

The skinny man sighed and slumped his shoulders. "Looks like Mori's got another trick up his sleeve."

"Izuku and Todoroki are there," Inko said in worry.

Bakugou whipped his head to the side to look at her, and then he glanced back to the prison. So Deku and the clone decided to storm the prison directly, eh?

Why the hell were they getting all of the action?!

"Well, what are we just standing around here for?!" Bakugou yelled. "Let's go kick Mori's ass before Deku and the clone finish him off!"

All Might and Aizawa exchanged determined looks before nodding to each other in agreement. Then, Aizawa reached for his capture weapon around his neck and took a deep breath.

"We need to help the injured first," he said. "But once they're clear, we can head to the prison."

Bakugou grit his teeth and stared back at the prison, watching as the massive head and shoulders descended back inside. He clenched his fists at his sides so hard that his arms shook. He wanted to run towards the prison _now_, but he knew that casualties and the victims would take first priority.

"You idiots better wait up," Bakugou mumbled towards the prison.

Then, he released a huff of air and turned on his heel to help assist the others in finding the wounded.

_And don't die on me, either,_ was kept to himself.

* * *

"Todoroki, he's—!"

"I'm on it!"

Shouto rushed forward and pushed Izuku over, raising an ice shield to block more blood attacks. The blood turned into solid shards, piercing right through his ice barrier. One shard scraped Shouto's right cheek, making blood ooze down to his jaw.

He quickly used his fire to launch another attack towards Mori's deformed frame, but the giant monster leaped out of the way of his fireball.

"Damn," Shouto hissed, pulling his fire back.

Izuku ran up beside of him and stared at Mori, eyes wide.

"It's some kind of blood quirk, but it seems like it's mutated him," Izuku said.

Shouto wiped the blood from his cheek. "Well, I wouldn't be surprised. He has so many quirks inside of him that there's no telling what's going on with him."

They both dodged out of the way of another barrage of bloody shards, each shard sticking into the ground. Then, the shards melted into puddles of blood onto the floor and began to vibrate. The blood suddenly rose into the air and shape-shifted into wolf-like creatures.

"Whoa," Izuku whispered, taking tentative steps backward.

Shouto followed him, moving back to stand in front of Izuku as the literal bloodhounds let out piercing howls and then leaped towards them, their bloody fangs sharp and their mouths releasing terrifying snarls.

Shouto and Izuku fought against them—Shouto using his fire to snuff them out while Izuku landed some quirk-infused punches to their jaws.

"What is this?!" Shouto yelled out as he boiled one of the hounds.

Izuku punched another. "It seems that his quirk is more than just blood manipulation!" he shouted. "He can make them come alive, too!"

"But how?!" Shouto yelled, dodging from an attack from his left. "I've never seen a quirk like this before! How can he control the blood from a distance like this?!"

"I think it—ack!" Izuku threw another punch. When the hound was reduced to nothing but a puddle of blood, he turned back to Shouto. "I think it has something to do with his mutated state! Maybe the mind control quirk can control his blood, too!"

Shouto released a quick, annoyed huff of air. Mori wasn't going to make this easy on them, was he?

He thought back to all of the previous battles he had been involved in over the years. He's fought some of the toughest villains known to man, but that was only in his own world.

In this world, the rules were much different.

"Uwah!" Izuku suddenly yelled as one of the hounds latched onto his leg and bit hard.

"Izuku!" Shouto yelled, and he stomped down his foot to send a path of ice towards the beast. It covered its body in the ice and Izuku managed to kick it away from him, the creature falling to the ground in pieces.

"Are you okay?" Shouto asked, jogging to his side. He could see some red bleeding through his costume on his shin.

"Yeah. I can manage it," Izuku said, putting his fists back up.

Shouto nodded and turned back towards the several other beasts that ran towards them, all open-mouthed and growling. They fought them off as best as they could, Shouto managing to fry them until they were nothing but air. But all of the hounds that Izuku fought off became puddles and then quickly reformed back into their hound-like qualities.

"These hounds just keep coming back!" Izuku yelled as he punched another one.

Shouto frowned and used his fire to disintegrate one, the blood boiling and then disappearing. He turned to Izuku and nodded towards Mori.

"I'll take care of these bloodhounds. You attack Mori!" Shouto said.

Izuku nodded. "Got it!"

Izuku used his legs to jump up from the mass of hounds that had surrounded him and hurled himself at Mori, who had been busy tearing down a portion of the wall.

What in the world was he up to? Shouto thought as he boiled another hound.

He heard Izuku's signature "smash" punch that sent Mori's large body flying towards the opposite wall. He landed with a sickening crash, and Shouto watched Izuku give him a nod at a distance.

Shouto nodded back and turned to look at the horde of hounds that still surrounded him. All at once, the hounds seemed to leap forward with their jaws wide open and ready to strike. Shouto took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, thinking back to all of the days of training camps and battle simulations.

Just breathe, Shouto told himself. And concentrate.

Focus.

He snapped his eyes open and then dropped to one knee, slamming his left palm to the ground. He sighed some steam and then focused on his fire, pushing it out of his hand and around his body.

The fire expanded in a circle, the orange and yellow flames lapping at the hounds and boiling them. The hounds all disintegrated before they could come close to biting Shouto. When all of the hounds were gone, Shouto extinguished his flames and breathed out slowly, feeling sweat run down his neck from the exertion.

He was still winded from his fight with Endeavor, so using too much fire was making him exhausted. He was at risk of overheating, and while Momo's temporary temperature regulators on his body were working, he wasn't sure if they were completely effective. He would have to be extremely careful so he wouldn't pass out from the heat.

"Ah!"

Izuku came flying back towards Shouto, knocking straight into him and sending them both crashing into the nearby support beam. There were some crashing sounds as debris fell from the ceiling, and Shouto felt his arm being grabbed.

"C'mon, this way," Izuku said. He had dirt on his face and a cut on his brow. He must've been punched or walloped for him to come flying across the room like that.

"What happened?" Shouto asked quietly as they crawled through the rubble.

Izuku swallowed. "He somehow made it so that his blood is as tough as steel," he said. They scooted to a stop behind a pile of rubble, Izuku leaning against it with a groan. "I guess since I'm not used to my quirk, my punch didn't quite penetrate it." He let out a small chuckle, and the sound made Shouto wince. "Guess I don't have it down, yet."

Shouto leaned forward and grasped Izuku's shoulders, looking him over. He didn't appear too injured, save for the cut on his brow and the coagulated bite wound on his leg. But underneath his clothes could hide a different problem.

"You didn't break any ribs, right?" Shouto asked, feeling around Izuku's torso.

"N-No, I'm fine," Izuku squeaked. "Just a little frazzled, I think."

Shouto pulled his lips to the side and gave Izuku's body another look over. Once he was mostly convinced that Izuku was telling the truth, he sighed and moved to sit next to Izuku, leaning his back against the debris.

"Well, what now?" Shouto asked. He turned his head and leaned forward to peek around the corner of the rubble. He spotted Mori's giant form just a few meters away. He was whacking some of the fallen debris away in search for the two of them. "We can't hide forever."

"Right, I know," Izuku said. His hands reached up to tug on his short strands of hair. "C'mon, Izuku. Think, think…"

While Izuku mumbled to himself, Shouto took a shallow breath and kept an eye on Mori, who had ventured a little ways away to swat at another pile of junk. His reddened skin no longer looked smooth and squishy, but now it looked like a solid plate of red armor had formed around his arms and back. It was just as Izuku had said—his blood quirk had somehow hardened into a state that would make him impenetrable.

"We've got to get him to lower down his new shield," Shouto said. "Or just destroy it."

"Maybe. But my quirk didn't even really dent it," Izuku said.

Shouto frowned and clenched his fist. "This is ridiculous. There has to be a way to stop him."

He watched Mori throw a desk against the wall, making the ground shake slightly. Some of Mori's blood stuck to the desk and splattered onto the wall, oozing down to the floor.

"If only this new quirk could leave his system," Shouto said. "But I don't know how we could do that if it's in his blood. He uses the blood for the quirk, so it would be nearly impossible to stop it."

Izuku suddenly stopped mumbling, his eyes wide as he stared ahead. His fingers loosened their hold on his hair and he sat up straight.

"That's it!" Izuku said.

Shouto looked at him, eyes a little wide. "What's it?"

Izuku smiled, and it nearly made Shouto's heart stop. It was the same look on his face when Izuku had a plan, an idea, something that showed true determination.

"We need to keep getting Mori to use his blood!" Izuku said.

Shouto blinked at him. "But won't he just keep attacking us?"

"Exactly!"

The building shook, and more debris fell from the ceiling, exposing the cloudy sky above them.

Shouto did a quick glance around before narrowing his eyes at Izuku questioningly. Izuku took that as his cue and nodded towards Mori, who was still actively looking for both of them.

"If we can get him to use up all of his blood, then he won't have a quirk to use anymore!" Izuku explained.

Shouto opened his mouth to ask how in the world Izuku would know that would work, but the rubble they were hiding behind suddenly vanished as Mori's giant hand smacked it away. Izuku and Shouto startled to their feet and glanced up as Mori's ugly head hovered overtop of them, his face contorted into a frown.

With a grunt, Izuku yanked Shouto to the side, both of them avoiding a deadly blow from Mori's fist. They rolled out of the way from another blow, Shouto raising an ice wall to stall him.

"How do we get him to use up his blood, then?" Shouto panted as they ran to the other side of the room.

"Just keep doing what we're doing," Izuku said. "And maybe he'll release more of those dogs again, too."

"We can't take this too lightly," Shouto said as both of them came to a stop at the far wall. They could see Mori approaching quickly, the shield around his body still thick. "He's still pretty strong, especially with that weird armor he's got around his body."

"Right," Izuku said. "We'll just have to wear him out."

Shouto glanced at him. "And if he wears us out first?"

Izuku paused for a minute and then gave Shouto a wobbly smile, the same type of smile that Izuku would only show in an effort to hold back tears.

"Then, I guess it's been nice getting to know you not-Todoroki," Izuku said softly.

Shouto's heart lurched and his stomach tightened. He squeezed his hands into fists and stared down at Mori as he got closer, his giant body nearly running towards them. He took in a deep breath and held it in his chest painfully.

"We won't die here," Shouto said, grabbing Izuku's attention. "I won't let that happen."

Izuku hesitated before letting out a soft chuckle. "I'm counting on you, then!"

Once Mori was close enough, they both dove in opposite directions and rolled to get behind him. Shouto fired off more ice towards him while Izuku used his legs to push off of the ground to fly at Mori at full speed.

Izuku's fist contacted Mori's jaw and sent the man tumbling backward near the wall. He hit the wall hard and slumped to the ground, groaning from the blast.

Shouto hurried behind him and started a fire that quickly surrounded Mori. The flames licked at the hardened skin that protected him, and the armor began to melt.

Mori let out a cry and pushed himself to his feet, reaching forward to grab at Shouto's ankle. He latched on and picked Shouto up like a ragdoll, hanging him upside down.

"Todoroki!" Izuku called, eyes wide.

Shouto struggled to break free from Mori's grasp, using both his ice and fire to fight off Mori's hand. But no matter how much he burned or froze him, Mori clung on.

"Let him go!" Izuku shouted, pushing himself up from the ground using his quirk. He reared his fist back and tried to punch Mori's side, but the armor had reformed itself. Izuku bit back a pained hiss as he took his bloody hand back, all of his knuckles busted and torn.

Mori roared, his voice garbled and gravelly, and then he dragged Shouto backward a little before flinging him sideways straight into a wall. His head hit the wall like a bat smacking a baseball and he fell to the ground, his vision blacking out and his ears ringing fiercely.

For a moment, all he could see was white. And then it morphed into a pretty green color as familiar eyes filled his sight.

_"Shouto!"_

Ah. It's Izuku again.

I could… just sleep now, right? Let the light take me.

And then I can just go home where I belong.

"Todoroki!"

But…

What about this Izuku? This world?

If he leaves now, then…

"Get up!"

There…

There are too many Izuku's.

_"Shouto!"_

Sigh.

I'm almost done here. And then…

Then I'm going to nap forever.

"Todoroki, can you hear me?"

Izuku's voice called after him, and Shouto heard the pattering of feet before he felt some hands touch his shoulders gently.

"Hey, hey, are you with me?" Izuku asked.

Shouto's eyes nearly rolled in the back of his head trying to look up at Izuku. Currently, there were three Izukus staring back at him.

He tried to speak, but his tongue felt too thick in his mouth. He lolled his head to the side and saw Mori slowly approaching, his eyes looking more infuriated than usual.

Shouto blinked and tried to focus on snapping out of it. He lifted up his head and mumbled some incoherent words, nodding and gesturing towards Mori.

Izuku's brows pushed together in confusion and worry as he stared down at him. But after a moment, he could hear Mori's footsteps from behind and he whirled around to face him. He grit his teeth in anger and then glanced down at Shouto once again.

"Try to regain your strength, Todoroki. I'll go get Mori," Izuku said.

_No, Izuku,_ Shouto thought, grabbing at his bruised hand. But Izuku pulled his hand out of Shouto's grasp and stood to his feet to face Mori head-on. He crouched down a bit and then pressed forward, his fist reared back and powered up for a massive punch.

"I'll make you pay for this!" Izuku shouted.

Shouto forced himself to sit up, and he held his head in his hand, still feeling dizzy.

"Izuku!" Shouto called out.

Izuku kept barreling forward, green sparks flying all around his body and red marks forming on his right arm. He was using too much power, Shouto noticed, and he tried to force himself up and onto his shaking knees.

"Izuku, you can't!" Shouto called out hoarsely. "You're going to hurt yourself!"

Mori reared his fist back at the same time as Izuku, and their fists collided simultaneously. Shouto could see the sparks flaring and flashing as Izuku tried to push against Mori. Mori's feet skidded backward a few feet, and it seemed that Izuku was winning the battle.

But suddenly, Izuku's arm trembled and then buckled, the green sparks fizzling out like a dead lightbulb.

And then, Shouto heard a sickening _snap_.

Izuku let out a strangled cry, his arm turning black from his bones snapping by All Might's quirk. Mori's fist collided with Izuku's jaw and he flew back towards Shouto, bouncing a few times before skidding to a halt in front of Shouto's feet.

"Izuku!" Shouto called, stumbling over to his side.

Izuku sat up, his left hand clutching his other busted arm. His face was contorted in pain, but he still had a glare in his eyes as he stared Mori down.

"Yoouuu… foooools."

Shouto whipped his head up to look at Mori, his chest tightening at the horrible sound that came out of that man's mouth.

Mori was getting closer to them, blood still dripping from his arms and torso. Izuku's punch seemed to have destroyed Mori's armored shell, but he was still quite huge and menacing.

"Yooouuu haaavee no ideeaa what youuu're up againnssssst," Mori hissed.

Shouto and Izuku both shuddered as Mori expelled more blood from his arms, his body turning a paler pink color. The blood dropped to the ground in puddles and then formed into more menacing hounds, all growling and dripping with blood as they stared at the two.

Izuku and Shouto both stood to their feet, Izuku a little wobbly as he still kept his broken arm close to his body. Shouto looked for an exit or a path to escape, but he found nothing.

"Behold! Myyy increeedible power!" Mori shouted. "Yoouuu have caaaused me trrouuuble for the laaaast time."

He deployed more hounds, some bigger than before, and all the more vicious.

"Aaand now, youuuu will paaaay with youuur livesss!"

Shouto stood close to Izuku, using his right side to create an ice shield.

"Any ideas, Izuku?" Shouto asked under his breath.

He was met with silence.

"Izuku?" Shouto called again. "What's the plan? Izu—"

And then, there was a soft sniffle.

Shouto slowly turned to look at Izuku, and his heart broke in two.

Tears were running down Izuku's face.

Shouto lowered down his ice shield, hopelessness suddenly washing over his body like a cold wave.

This… This was it, wasn't it?

Slowly, hesitantly, Shouto reached over and grabbed Izuku's shoulder, making the crying boy look at him. Izuku hiccupped softly, pitifully, and then shut his eyes tightly.

_Sorry, Izuku,_ Shouto tried to tell his friend back in his world. _Looks like I won't make it out of this one._

"Goooo!" Mori called out to his creatures. "Killl them both!"

The hundreds of creatures leaped forward towards them, and it was way too many for Shouto to take out with his fire by himself. Not in his exhausted state.

So, he closed his eyes and braced for impact.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

* * *

_Shouto rubbed his eyes as he ascended the staircase up to the rooftop, the noise from Kirishima's party still echoing down the halls. It was the night after a huge field examination—one that caused several injuries to their classmates. But everyone passed and Kirishima wanted to celebrate._

_But Shouto felt his stomach wobble at the sight of food, and his head pierced with the noisy music. He was annoyed, and not at the party itself, but at his own performance that day._

_So, to sort out his jumbled thoughts, Shouto had slipped out of the room and snuck upstairs in the hope to sort out his thoughts alone. He opened the door to the roof, expecting the same emptied space to be all to himself._

_But when the roof came into view, Shouto stopped in the doorway and blinked. He squinted just to be sure, but there was definitely a familiar poof of dark green sitting on the edge of the roof, their arms leaning on the railings._

_The rooftop of their dormitories was a privilege that only third-years could enjoy, but it was normally empty since everyone was so busy studying or training for their careers since graduation was looming._

_Shouto went to the rooftop almost every night to just _breathe_. It was relaxing to meditate or read or even just stare up at the stars to get a break. He would leave his phone in his room to avoid those pesky texts or phone calls from his father. He knew it was dangerous to go somewhere without it, but he needed the peace and quiet. _

_But this time, the rooftop was occupied._

_And of course, it was Izuku. _

_Shouto felt himself relax a little, knowing it was him. If it had been anyone else, then he would've felt put-off for having his secret spot taken from him. _

_He was concerned, though. Izuku was at the party earlier, wasn't he? Why would he be out tonight?_

_The door to the roof clicked shut behind Shouto and Izuku jumped, turning his head back to look towards the noise. His shoulders relaxed and his lips curled into a soft smile when he saw Shouto._

_"Ah, Shouto! Good evening," Izuku greeted._

_"Good evening," Shouto said as he moved towards Izuku. _

_He sat down next to Izuku on the edge and rested his arms on the railings, mirroring Izuku. He could see the bandage on his cheek still fresh from the scuffle earlier that day. It made Shouto's stomach clench when he saw Izuku get punched by that villain. So of course he had to retaliate, with his own fists._

_"What brings you out here?" Izuku asked. "Not feeling like partying?"_

_I should be asking you that, Shouto thought. But he kept it to himself and stared up at the stars._

_"I wasn't in the mood," Shouto said. "And I come out here every night."_

_"E-Eh? Oh…" Izuku rubbed his cheek, looking a bit guilty. "I hope I'm not disturbing your time, then. I-I can leave, if you'd like some alone time! I mean, you don't have to deal with me being out here, and—"_

_"Izuku," Shouto said, stopping his mutterings. "It's fine. I don't mind you being here."_

_Izuku hesitated and then slumped a little, smiling brightly. "Ah, thanks, Shouto!"_

_Shouto hummed and leaned against the railings, looking out at the campus and the city beyond the walls. It was beautiful at night, but it was such a shame that the city was in a poor state with all of the villains still running amuck. _

_"It's peaceful up here," Izuku suddenly commented. "I get why you like coming here so often."_

_Shouto hesitated and glanced at Izuku from the side of his eye. "Why are you up here?" _

_Izuku hesitated, his hand coming up to touch the bandage on his cheek. He bit his lip and then smiled, glancing up at the dark sky. There were hardly any stars out with all the lights of the city, but there were still a few twinkling lightly against the dark background._

_"I couldn't really concentrate on having fun at the party," Izuku said. "Today was…"_

_Shouto understood him perfectly. It was similar to that awful evening when All Might's dire condition was exposed to the world. No student on campus could sleep that night._

_"Anyway. I thought spending some time up here would clear my head," Izuku explained with a smile. _

_Shouto nodded once. "It's nice up here. Quiet."_

_"True," Izuku said lightly. "But I'm also surprised you're not sleeping! You really like to sleep, don't you?"_

_Shouto blinked at him. "Why does everyone know that?"_

_"If you're not training, you're napping," Izuku teased._

_Shouto sighed and slumped against the railings, a little annoyed by his obvious manners. He'd been getting more and more careless since living in the dorms, he supposed. Perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing, but his father would say otherwise._

_He could hear his father's voice now._

_'You're getting too comfortable with your surroundings. Stop wasting your time on this foolishness.'_

_Shouto nearly rolled his eyes into the back of his head at the sound. He leaned his cheek against the cold railing and blinked sleepily._

_"Hey, Shouto…"_

_"Hm?" Shouto hummed._

_Izuku paused, and Shouto could practically hear his brain buzzing with questions. Just say what you need to say, Shouto wanted to tell him. They had no reason to hide anything from each other anyway._

_"About today," Izuku said, his hands coming together in his lap. His thumb rubbed against a particularly long scar on the back of his hand. "Do… Do you think that when we become professional heroes, fights against villains will be just as…"_

_Shouto tilted his head to look at him and waited patiently for him to find the right words. When he did, Izuku let a sigh and bit his lip._

_"…scary?" Izuku finally finished._

_Shouto lifted his brows in surprise. "You were scared today?"_

_Izuku let out a huff of air, a strained smile appearing on his face. "Terrified."_

_"You didn't seem like it," Shouto said._

_Izuku looked at him. "Well, that was probably adrenaline," he said. He paused to twiddle his thumbs. "I'm not usually scared, but today really got to me."_

_Ah, so there it was. The missing piece to the puzzle. _

_Izuku didn't always get scared, but when he did, it ate him alive. _

_Shouto could relate to that._

_"I'm trying to be a beacon of hope for people everywhere, but how can I be that when I'm so afraid of some of the villains we fight against?" Izuku asked. "The battle is already over, so why am I still afraid?"_

_"There's nothing wrong with being scared, Izuku," Shouto said._

_Izuku scoffed. "That's easier for you to say. You never get scared."_

_"I was scared."_

_Izuku paused for a moment, his tongue seemingly stuck in his mouth. He turned his head to look at Shouto with wide eyes, and the lights of the city shimmered against his green irises. _

_"You were?" he asked_

_"Of course," Shouto said. _

_"You didn't look it," Izuku said._

_"Neither did you."_

_Izuku pouted a little, scratching his cheek and staying silent. Shouto caught the movement and stared at the scars on his hand, noticing how deep they looked against his tanned skin. _

_Shouto glanced down at his lap and started to fiddle with his own hands, looking at the tiny nicks of skin painted here and there._

_"I was more scared that you were going to do something to get yourself more hurt," Shouto admitted._

_As soon as the words left his mouth, he wished he could bring them back. How lame was that? He felt pathetic even just thinking about it._

_But Izuku was looking at him with such fondness and softness that his self-deprecating feelings vanished in a flash. _

_"You were?" Izuku asked._

_Shouto winced as if struck. "Of course I was," he gritted out. "You just jumped into the middle of those villains without even coming up with a solid plan first. It was as if you were back to your first-year habits."_

_It was Izuku's turn to wince and he turned his head away in shame. The tips of his ears burned and he hung his head._

_"I thought you weren't going to make it out alive," Shouto said. "You could have gotten seriously hurt today. What were you even thinking?"_

_Izuku frowned and looked into his lap. "I just wanted to save those people," he said softly. "I didn't have time to think. I just reacted."_

_Shouto watched the slump in Izuku's shoulders droop even more and he shut his mouth before another reprimand could escape. It was like kicking a puppy. He hated when Izuku got like this—on the verge of tears but trying to hold them back. _

_He sighed and leaned his head on his arms on the railings, staring out at the bright city. _

_"How do you do it, then?" Shouto asked._

_Shouto could see Izuku flinch out of the corner of his eye. "Huh? Do what?"_

_"Even when you're scared, you just… jump in without a plan," Shouto said. "If you're so scared, then how do you continue to fight even when your body tells you to run?"_

_Izuku paused for a moment to think about Shouto's question. Then, he tilted his head back to look up at the sky._

_"Same reason as you, probably," Izuku answered._

_Shouto frowned. "That's vague."_

_"Not really," Izuku said with a shake of his head. When Shouto still looked unconvinced, Izuku hummed in thought and then rolled his head to the side to look at him. "Well… You remember the incident with Stain, right?"_

_Shouto's lip twitched. Of course he remembered. That was a night he wished he could easily forget but it still haunted his dreams every once in a while._

_"Yeah," Shouto mumbled._

_"Did you want to run away at the sight of seeing him?" Izuku asked. "Did you want to go get a pro hero instead?"_

_Shouto furrowed his brow and tilted his head on his arms to look at him. "What are you getting at?"_

_"Just answer the question," Izuku prodded. _

_Shouto frowned. "No."_

_"Then why did you decide to fight?" Izuku asked._

_Shouto stared out at the city, looking at the variety of alleyways that were tucked away in between different buildings. _

_"To save your lives," Shouto said softly._

_"Exactly," Izuku said, his voice just as soft. He glanced up at the sky, looking both worn and stressed. "You just decided right then and there to stay and fight with the best of your ability. And whether or not you were scared, you fought alongside of us. You saved us that night, Shouto."_

_Shouto stayed quiet, feeling some shame for getting after Izuku so harshly. He was right. Again. _

_He let out a breath as his hand found the railing, his fingers curling around it as ice formed along his arm. _

_"But what if you were alone?" Shouto asked. "Aren't you afraid of fighting alone?"_

_Izuku gazed at him softly, his eyes drooping the slightest bit. "But I wasn't alone. And I won't be alone in the future, either."_

_Shouto's arm started to incase with more ice as his he heard his father's words ringing in his ears again._

_'You will become the best there ever was. You alone will become Number One.'_

_Yeah, but what if I don't want to be alone?_

_"Sorry," Izuku apologized, startling Shouto from his thoughts. Shouto leaned up from the railing to look at his friend, noticing Izuku's green eyes gazing towards his arm, which was now fully covered in icy crystals. "I didn't want to argue or make you feel bad. I was just… talking."_

_Shouto rubbed the ice from his arm, trying to get it to melt. Damn his emotional lack of control. _

_"It's fine," he mentioned. He breathed deeply and slowly to get his heart to relax. "I just wanted you to feel better about it. Being afraid, I mean."_

_Izuku paused for a moment before turning his head to look at Shouto. _

_"I guess I do feel a little better, though," Izuku said with a small smile. "It's nice to know that even you get afraid sometimes." He chuckled softly and closed his eyes. "It's easier when you have friends by your side to help you in situations like this."_

_Shouto could hear his father's voice ringing in his ears again._

_'They are not your friends. They are your competition.'_

_Shouto slumped against the railing, feeling more conflicted than he had been in a while. He hated that his father's voice was getting to him so badly this year. Their second year had been a breeze in comparison to the first, but third-year had been even more of a struggle. He hated that his father was stuck inside of his head even now._

_He felt that he was a closed-off first-year again._

_He shook his head and tried to fling the thoughts far from his mind. He promised himself he would never think that way again. He was a changed person._

_"You'll always have people surrounding you, Izuku," Shouto said. "So you have people that you can talk to and rely on."_

_Me, Shouto wanted to say, but he didn't have the courage to be that forward. He considered Izuku his best friend. Hell, Izuku was the first friend he ever made. But Izuku was always surrounded by others. He wasn't sure if Izuku felt the same way towards him._

_"I guess… that's why heroes have sidekicks or work in teams," Izuku suddenly mentioned, having some sort of epiphany. "They're not truly alone unless they decide to go solo, which is such a scary thought in itself! Why would anyone want to go solo?"_

_Shouto averted his gaze. "Yeah."_

_Going solo… _

_It did seem unnerving. _

_Being all alone with no backup in sight. _

_Shouto didn't see how he could work in any other environment. He wanted so badly to make a name for himself without his father casting a shadow over him. He wanted to make people feel comfortable in his presence and feel at ease, but he couldn't do that by riding someone else's coattails. He had to establish his professional life by himself._

_But why…_

_Why was that thought so terrifying?_

_"The same goes for you, too, you know."_

_Shouto startled out of his thoughts and turned towards his friend. Izuku was still leaning on the rails with a nice smile on his face_

_"What do you mean?" Shouto asked once his brain caught up to Izuku's words._

_Izuku smiled, and even with the dim city lights reflecting on his face, Shouto could see that it was fond._

_"You have people you can talk to and rely on," Izuku said. His crooked hand fidgeted with the railing. "So… don't sit up here by yourself every night. M-My door is always open, you know…"_

_Shouto's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. His eyes grew wide as he watched Izuku flush and rub his hand through his thick curls. _

_Endeavor's voice slowly faded out until Shouto couldn't hear him at all, and it felt as if there was a weight lifted from his shoulders. He managed a small smile, one that made his chest feel warm._

_"Thank you, Izuku," Shouto said._

_Izuku looked taken aback for a moment—either by Shouto's smile or his expression of gratitude, Shouto wasn't sure—and then he beamed, and it was as if the sun was back out._

_"You're welcome, Shouto!" Izuku said._

_Suddenly, the door to the rooftop flung open with a bang._

_"Whoa, looks like we're missing the real party up here!" _

_Shouto and Izuku swiveled around to see the rest of their class flooding onto the roof, Kirishima leading the way. He waved to Shouto and Izuku, Bakugou reluctantly following behind with a scowl on his face._

_"Bakugou said he saw you guys sneak up here! Why didn't you invite us? This looks like a great spot to have a party!" he said with a toothy grin. "Right, Bakugou?"_

_"Ugh, shut up, Shitty Hair! Don't lump me in with these losers!" Bakugou shouted. He had a hilarious bandage covering his nose. It completely mellowed out his fierce scowl._

_Uraraka, Iida, Momo, and Tsuyu quickly gathered next to them, their arms still covered in scratches and bandages from the day. But they all had smiles on their faces._

_"C'mon, Deku! We should party!" Uraraka said._

_"We're only third-years once, you know," Tsuyu said._

_"You're in on this, too, Iida?" Izuku asked, surprised._

_Iida adjusted his glasses. "Well, while I'm not one to party much, I do believe we need a breather after the events that have transpired."_

_Shouto hesitated, feeling a bit frazzled from the sudden mood change._

_"I'm not sure," Shouto said, rubbing the back of his neck._

_But then, Momo, with her quirk, pulled out two long sticks from her arm and handed them to Izuku and Shouto. Upon closer inspection, Shouto could see that they were sparklers. _

_"We need someone to light these sparklers," Momo said, a light blush on her cheeks. "It would be nice if you could stay."_

_Shouto paused again, looking down at the sparkler in his hand. He felt Izuku's shoulder nudge his own and he turned to look at his friend. Izuku was giving him an encouraging smile, nodding towards the sparkler. Shouto then glanced around to see the rest of his class all staring at him in anticipation, waiting for him to light the first sparkler of the night. _

_Shouto huffed out a breath of laughter and smiled._

_"Okay," he said, igniting his left side. _

_The sparkler lit and crackled, and the rest of the class cheered. Momo passed around more sparklers and Shouto lit each and every one, the class spreading out on the rooftop to enjoy the views._

_Izuku was the last one to show up with his unlit sparkler and he held it up to Shouto with a kind smile. _

_"It's nice to have friends, isn't it?" Izuku asked._

_Shouto lit Izuku's sparkler with a smile._

_"Yeah. It is."_

* * *

"Goooo! Killl them both!"

The dogs howled and started towards them, snarling with their mouths wide open and bearing their jagged teeth.

Shouto squeezed Izuku's shoulder and closed his eyes, leaning in close to his friend. Izuku reached up with his unbroken arm and latched onto Shouto's shirt, tucking his face into Shouto's chest.

I'm sorry, Izuku, Shouto thought, trying to apologize to his Izuku back home. I'm sorry I never gave you the right answer that day.

_"I was… actually going to ask you if you wanted to join me once we graduated."_

Shouto grit his teeth hard. Why did he have to be so aloof about it all?

_"Me? You want me to join you?"_

_"Yeah. With All Might's help, I'm actually starting my own agency. And we'll need a lot of fresh heroes."_

Shouto felt his anger kindling inside of him. He was so angry with himself.

Had he learned nothing at all from Izuku in these past three years?

Izuku's selflessness got him hurt over and over again. Every single day he would sacrifice his wellbeing for others but still come out with a smile. Even when he was afraid, he would fight it and depend on others if he needed to.

So why couldn't Shouto let him in?

Why did Shouto have to be stubborn?

He never should have hesitated that day when Izuku asked him to join.

I'm sorry, Izuku, Shouto said. I want to give you my answer now.

_"It's nice to have friends, isn't it?"_

Shouto huffed out a bitter laugh and pulled this other version of Izuku close, trying to pretend it was his best friend from back home.

More than anything, Izuku, Shouto agreed, a sad smile pulling at his lips.

More than anything.

He felt the hot breath of one of the dogs close to his skin, and his body tensed, his arms curling around Izuku as much as possible to keep him safe.

This was it, he thought, holding Izuku close.

But, suddenly, as he braced for impact, a loud explosion rocked the building.

It stunned the hounds, and even some of the flying debris squished them into puddles.

Shouto shielded his eyes from the dust that swarmed them, and when it cleared, he glanced to the nearby wall and saw a gaping hole that led to the outside world. Several people stood in the new hole, holding on to the sides for balance.

"Looks like we're missing the real party!"

Shouto's heart soared at the sound of Kirishima's voice echoing in the small space. He gazed up at the figures standing in the gap and immediately began to recognize each and every one as the dust cleared.

It was his classmates. All of them.

Everyone from class 3-A, 3-B, and even others who he didn't interact with much, but he knew their faces.

And Aizawa, along with other pro-hero lookalikes, was leading the pack.

"You bastards!" Bakugou shouted, his hands crackling and his face turning red from anger. "You started this shit without me, hah?! I'll beat the shit outta you!"

He ran forward and jumped inside the hole, rearing his hand back and slamming it down on one of the bloodhounds, making it explode into a sizzling puddle of blood underneath his feet.

"But first, I've gotta deal with these assholes!" Bakugou yelled.

"Kacchan!" Izuku shouted, eyes watering.

Aizawa nodded towards the rest of the crew, and people began to flood inside the building, all using their quirks to the best of their abilities. Even with limited use and practice, they all still jumped in and started to use their quirks against the vicious monsters.

Chaos immediately warmed the room, but Shouto never felt so relaxed in all of his life.

He glanced down at Izuku, finding that his arms were still wrapped around him. He pulled away but kept one hand on his shoulder, trying to keep his broken arm stable.

"Can you keep going?" Shouto asked.

Izuku blinked the tears away, using his other arm to wipe them from his cheeks. He smiled up at Shouto in that watery, determined way when he was ready to fight.

"I'll only be able to use one hand," Izuku said.

Shouto paused and then turned his head to look at Mori, who stood near the far wall. He looked angry, but his deformed body was no longer red. It had faded into a light pink color, which meant…

…he used too much of his quirk.

"I think that's all you'll need," Shouto said, looking back to Izuku. He nodded towards Mori, and Izuku turned in his direction.

"Yeah. He's weakened," Izuku said, his smile fading into a look of determination. "Let's take him down."

Izuku knelt down and powered up his legs, green sparks flying everywhere. Then, he jumped into the air and towards Mori.

"Right behind you," Shouto said, slamming his right hand on the ground.

An ice wall formed underneath his feet and rapidly pushed him up into the air, sending him flying along Izuku. When they were close to Mori, Shouto formed more ice underneath his feet that quickly traveled to the ground, creating a ramp for them both to slide down.

They skidded to a stop in front of Mori, Izuku's left hand sparking with green energy while Shouto displayed both of his quirks on his sides.

"You're not getting away, Mori," Izuku said. "You're surrounded."

"Just give it up now so no one else has to get hurt," Shouto said.

Mori frowned, his goopy skin wrinkling with each movement. More rivulets of blood seeped up from his quickly graying body and encompassed his arms, creating more armor around his fists.

"Yoouuuu will noooot win!" Mori yelled. "I haaaave theeee uuulltimate quiiiirk!"

He reared his giant fist back and threw it forward towards Shouto and Izuku. They both dodged out of the way and rolled to the sides as Mori's armored fist collided with the floor, shattering the tile and creating another hole.

"He's still so strong!" Izuku said, keeping his broken arm close to his body.

"We'll just have to outwit him," Shouto said.

"Wear him out?" Izuku asked.

Shouto nodded. "Wear him out."

Shouto slammed his left foot down and large flames erupted from his toes, quickly growing taller and taller until it circled around Mori's body, keeping him trapped.

"I'll try to knock off the armor!" Izuku said, bending his legs to launch himself again.

"Don't get burned!" Shouto called after him.

Like a rocket, Izuku flew in the air towards Mori and reared back his left fist, all channeling All Might's quirk. He flew over the top of Shouto's flames and then he swung his fist forward into Mori's left forearm, the impact creating a wind blast that snuffed out Shouto's flames in an instant.

Shouto closed his eyes to prevent any dust or debris from getting into his eyes, and soon enough, he heard a slapping of feet next to him. When the wind stopped, he opened his eyes and saw that Izuku was at his side. The blast from his punch must've sent him flying back. Luckily, Izuku caught himself and landed on his feet.

"I don't know if that did anything," Izuku said, his jaw clenched.

Shouto glanced towards the smoke and dust where Mori once stood, squinting to try to see through the chaos. Shouto could make out Mori's outline, his body looking lopsided.

Then, once the dust settled, Shouto saw the damage done by Izuku's punch.

Mori's arm had shrunken back to its original form, tiny and pale in comparison to his hulking, red body. It was disgusting to look at, but it alit a new hope in Shouto's chest.

"His quirk is starting to fail," Shouto said.

Izuku nodded. "We just have to keep hammering him."

"Right. I'll throw up another firewall. You get ready to punch," Shouto said.

"Got it," Izuku said, bending his knees.

Shouto took a deep breath, feeling himself starting to sweat from the heat. But he ignored it and slammed his foot down, creating another path of fire towards Mori. Izuku powered up his legs and jumped into the air, flying towards Mori to try to get in another blow on Mori's other arm.

Mori snarled at them both, and then he jumped into the air himself, using his armored arm to punch a hole into the wall. He quickly started to scale the wall, his bad arm barely able to keep him going. But with one good arm, he was still fast, and soon enough, he was crawling through the hole in the roof.

Izuku skidded to a stop in the middle of Shouto's flames and stared up at Mori as he escaped.

"Damn it!" Izuku cursed, hands in fists. Shouto caught up to him and extinguished his flames, also staring up at the hole as Mori's body climbed through. "He's getting away!"

Shouto grit his teeth, ice forming on his cheek and neck.

"Not if we can help it," he said. He stamped his foot down on the ground and latched onto Izuku's arm. "Hang on."

Izuku grabbed onto Shouto's shoulder as ice formed underneath their feet and lifted up high in the air, climbing high up to the hole in the ceiling.

"What the hell are you idiots doing?!" Bakugou called after he blasted a bloodhound to smithereens.

Izuku glanced down at him and shook his head. "We'll be back! Finish them off down here!"

Bakugou growled, looking ready to protest, but he huffed and turned back to the battle happening below.

Shouto focused on the task at hand, his eyes looking upward as he continued creating more ice to get both of them to the roof. He would have to face Bakugou's wrath later.

Shouto's ice platform was finally tall enough to reach the ceiling, and Izuku jumped through the hole at the top first, landing solidly on the roof. Shouto shivered violently as he took the step down, nearly stumbling as he tried to get his footing. Izuku caught him easily, though, and steadied him before they both turned towards Mori.

Mori was practically crawling along the roof, his damaged body barely able to keep going.

"There," Shouto said, pointing a shaking finger towards Mori.

Izuku nodded and looked Shouto over. "Warm yourself up," he said. "You're shivering."

Shouto let out a breath, only now realizing how cold his body had become. "Right."

He quickly stabilized his internal temperature and then used both sides of his body to heighten his quirk—ice forming on his right side while bright orange flames sparked on his left. He breathed out deeply, releasing some steam from his lips, and stared down at Mori, who was still hobbling along the roof.

"Mori!" Izuku shouted, his left fist crackling with All Might's power.

Mori jolted and turned around, and Shouto's gut flipped over. Mori's face must've received some of Izuku's blast because half of it was missing. His eye was gone, along with his ear. Part of his jawbone was exposed, revealing his twitching muscles.

"Stop now, or we'll be forced to end you right here!" Izuku continued.

Mori released a low growl, his lips pulling back to show the front of his teeth.

"Youuuuu!" Mori snarled. "Youuuu will paaaay!"

Shouto and Izuku quickly exchanged looks, nodding, and then they both rushed forward, Shouto skating along his ice while Izuku jumped by using his quirk.

Izuku got to Mori first, trying to slam his fist into Mori's exposed jawbone, but Mori put up his armored arm to block the punch. Izuku jumped backward to avoid a blow from Mori's arm, skidding to a stop before he fell off of the edge of the building.

Shouto stepped in next, flinging his arm forward to throw a wall of ice at Mori to entrap him. It attached his legs to the roof, and Mori struggled against the ice. Shouto moved in quickly, getting in an icy punch to Mori's sternum, sending the giant man flying back and ripping his legs from the icy holds.

Mori scrambled to his feet and summoned more blood to his one good arm and legs, making bloody spikes come from his limbs. He hurled his spiked fist forward towards Shouto.

"Ugh!" Shouto grunted as one of the spikes grazed his side, and he raised his left hand to push out a burst of fire. Mori shuffled away from him, and Shouto held onto his bleeding side.

"Todoroki!" Izuku called over his shoulder. "You okay?"

Shouto grit his teeth, holding the wound with his palm. He cooled his hand and froze the wound until the blood stopped flowing out.

"Just a scratch," Shouto said, taking his hand away from the wound.

Izuku nodded and faced Mori, keeping an eye on his movements. Mori's strikes were choppy, but predictable. If Izuku could strike his weakened arm again, Mori would crumble under the pressure. He took a deep breath and bent his legs, shooting forward.

Instead of using his arm, he leaned backward and twisted, preparing his leg for a smashing kick. Mori put up his good arm to protect himself, however, and Izuku's leg connected with Mori's bloody spikes.

Some of the spikes shattered and sent bits and pieces flying. Mori stumbled backward, falling to one knee, and he glanced down at his ruined spikes. Blood slithered around his arms towards the spikes.

"Hurry! Before he forms more!" Izuku shouted.

"On it!" Shouto said, skating forward on his ice.

They both rushed toward Mori at once, Shouto trying to use his flames while Izuku charged up another green-sparked fist.

"Let's end this!" Shouto yelled.

"Hit him with everything you've got!" Izuku shrieked back.

They surged forward towards the slumped Mori, determined to knock him out once and for all and end this madness in this pathetic world.

No more enslavement. No more punishment for the innocent. No more suffering.

Shouto brightened his flames and matched Izuku's speed, ready to slam his fire right into Mori's chest. They were just a few feet away, inches, millimeters…

But, just as they were about to make contact, Mori snapped his head up and lifted his fist into the air, shooting out one of the bloody spikes from his forearm. It flew into the air and struck Izuku in the arm.

"Augh!" Izuku shouted as his body whipped backward. He slammed down on his back, the spike sticking him to the roof.

"Izuku!" Shouto yelled.

His eyes widened in horror and he slowed down, eyes moving away from the target in front of him and instead focusing on his injured friend.

He was about to turn to Izuku to help get his arm unstuck from the roof, but suddenly, his neck was grabbed and he was lifted into the air. His hands scrambled for purchase, and he kicked his legs to try to break free, but Mori's grip did not falter.

"Yoouuuu peeeests," Mori bellowed. "Did yooouuu reeeaaaally think yooouu could win?"

"Todoroki!" Izuku screamed, his voice shrill and panicked.

Shouto coughed and tried to suck in a breath, the hand on his neck squeezing tighter. He glanced to the side to see Izuku struggling to pry the spike from his arm.

Was it really so helpless?

Was he really going to die like this?

"Looook aroooound you," Mori said, grabbing Shouto's attention. "Thissss city is _mine!"_

Shouto glanced around, his eyes watering. He could see smoke rising from the buildings, the dark clouds looming overhead as he spoke.

It looked like the end of the world.

Could this truly happen in his own world?

…Would he even make it back to his own world to find out?

Shouto felt his grip slacken on Mori's hand, and Mori chuckled.

"What'sssss thisss? Giving up?" he sneered. "I sssssee that you're coming to your sssenssses. Don't youuu seeee? You're nnnot fit for hero work, litttttle Endeavorrrr!"

Shouto winced, a tear or two falling from his strained eyes as he sucked in another breath.

"Yoooouu will endd up jusssst like your ppathetic ffaather!" he hissed.

No, Shouto thought. I won't!

"Patheticcc."

No, Shouto fought. He was quickly losing steam.

"And allll alone."

Shouto whimpered, suddenly feeling like he was five years old.

When he started his training, his siblings couldn't come near him. When his mother burned him and was forced to leave the house, he was truly alone.

And now… on this cold rooftop, on the verge of death…

He was alone.

Why did he even hope that he could be different?

Joining Izuku's agency? Becoming partners with him?

What a joke.

He can't even handle this on his own.

How could he possibly become a hero at this rate?

He could hear his father's voice echoing in his mind, telling him to get up and fight and to stop being pathetic.

I can't, Father, Shouto responded to his father's voice.

Not this time.

_"You would be great on a team, Shouto."_

Not true, Izuku.

_"Why don't we make a bet? If I win the bet, then you have to join my agency."_

I wish I could, Izuku, but I'm useless here. I can't even defend myself.

_"It's nice to have friends, isn't it?" _

Shouto paused, his breath catching.

Friends…?

He had… friends.

No, he's had friends this entire time.

Why didn't he see it before?

Iida, Uraraka, Bakugou, Momo, and the rest of his classmates. Even class B and C, and those idiots from Shiketsu.

And Izuku…

_"It's yours, isn't it?!"_

_"It's your power, not his!"_

_"I can't accept that. You would be great on a team."_

_"Well, we're friends, aren't we?"_

_"Hey, stay with me! Don't close your eyes, Shouto!"_

_"Shouto!"_

Izuku had been there from the beginning.

So wasn't alone.

Not anymore.

"**You're wrong**."

Mori's evil grin fell from his face and his brow lifted suspiciously.

"Whaat?" he hissed.

Shouto squeezed his hands onto Mori's, using both sides of his quirk to try to fry and freeze the hand that clamped down on his neck.

"I'm… not alone," Shouto said, his voice straining. "And… I will never be alone."

He sucked in a harsh, wheezing breath and then stared down at Mori with a smile.

"It's you… who will always be alone!" he said.

Mori snarled. "Why youuuu—"

Shouto lit his left side ablaze, blue flames spouting from his arms and legs.

"**Now, Izuku!**"

"You got it!"

Mori startled and whipped his head around. "What?!"

Standing behind him was Izuku, a hole in his broken arm but his good arm charged and shaking with energy.

While Mori had been blabbering on about himself, Izuku had wriggled himself free from the spike. When Shouto realized that Izuku was standing behind him, he could truly feel just how loved he was in this world.

And he would never be alone again.

Mori let out a guttural scream as Shouto's hot flames singed his skin, making him drop Shouto to the ground.

Izuku flung himself up into the air and then surged downward, aiming towards Mori at full speed.

"Detroit…. SMASH!"

Izuku's fist collided with Mori's face, the impact sending him right through the roof.

The structure around the impact started to collapse, both Izuku and Shouto falling through it.

"Todoroki!" Izuku yelled, reaching out towards him.

Shouto managed to grab onto his arm and he yanked him close. The floor below was quickly getting closer and closer, so Shouto pushed out some ice to try to slow down the impact. He ended up creating a haphazard ramp that sent both Izuku and Shouto tumbling just a few steps away from Mori's still body.

Shouto sat up slowly, his body aching all over from the impact. He swallowed and gazed over to Izuku, who was still on the ground.

"Izuku!" Shouto called, scrambling to his feet.

He hurried by Izuku's side and knelt down next to him, helping him sit up.

Izuku rubbed his head with his good arm and looked up at Shouto in a daze.

"Ack… Todoroki," Izuku called, looking up at him. "Where's Mori? Is he still here?"

Shouto opened his mouth to speak, but Mori's body suddenly twitched next to them.

They both whipped around to see the body start to wriggle and pale, steam lifting up from his limbs.

Shouto jumped to his feet, Izuku right behind him. They got ready to fight in case Mori decided to get back onto his feet.

But instead of getting back up, Mori's body shrunk, the disgusting pink color fading as he returned back to his normal size.

The battle against the bloodhounds, happening just a few yards away, immediately dwindled as all of the hounds fell into puddles on the ground.

All of the people attacking paused for a moment, looking around at each other for some sort of confirmation.

And then, all at once, everyone began to cheer.

"H-Holy crap, did we win?!" Kirishima asked, eyes wide as he tried to process what had just happened.

"We did it…" Kaminari said, rushing over to Kirishima and tackling him to the ground. "We did it!"

Even Bakugou joined in, angrily wrapping his arms around their necks and yanking them up from the ground. Several of the girls were crying and holding onto each other, and the adults sagged to the ground, simply relieved that after all of these years, it was finally over.

Shouto turned to look at Izuku, who had tears in his eyes, and then reached to pull his arms around him. Izuku immediately returned the hug with one arm, sniffling into Shouto's neck.

"It's over," Izuku cried. "It's finally over."

Shouto hummed pressing his face into the short curls on top of Izuku's head.

"It is," Shouto said. "You can live in peace now. Start this world over."

Izuku leaned back and smiled up at him. "It's all thanks to you, Todoroki. We really could not have done it without you."

Shouto's heart fluttered, dancing like a lit flame inside of his chest. Then, he smiled gratefully at Izuku.

"Well, it's better to do it as a team," Shouto said. "It's nice… to have friends, isn't it?"

Izuku smiled, looking proud as tears dripped down his freckled cheeks.

"Yeah!"

They leaned in for more hugs, Shouto squeezing Izuku tight. "We need to get you patched up," he told Izuku.

"Hehe! It's not too bad!" Izuku said.

"You have a hole in your arm," Shouto said, leaning back from the hug. "Your _broken_ arm."

Izuku wiped his face. "I don't even feel it," he said. "It must be the adrenaline."

Shouto shook his head, watching as Izuku muttered something about helping the injured. He quickly glanced around the room to observe the rest of the people who were cheering and dancing in sweet, sweet victory.

His heart felt so light. Everyone was safe in this world now that Mori was no longer in control. They could finally live in peace and rebuild their world. It was something that Shouto would never forget for the rest of his life.

Now the only problem was… how was he going to get back home?

Home…

Izuku.

He was probably really worried, huh?

Heh. He had so much to tell him.

Wait until he told Izuku about his alternate self. He would be so appalled!

Shouto turned back towards this other Izuku, who had stuck with him this entire time, and opened his mouth to thank him for all the trouble and hard work.

But then, he froze as movement caught his eye.

His heart sank as he saw Mori suddenly moving, his arm covered in blood. A long, sharp spike formed in his hand, and his sharp eyes stared right up at Izuku's back.

No, he wouldn't let this happen.

Not to Izuku.

Not to this boy who had lost so much.

"Izuku! Get back!" Shouto yelled.

Izuku's face twisted into confusion as Shouto grabbed him by the collar and yanked him forward, shoving him to the ground.

The spike pushed upward and went right through Shouto's chest, making him gasp at the impact.

"NO! _Shouto!" _

Izuku shrieked, his voice echoing in the room and making everyone turn their heads towards him.

Bakugou was the first to react, sprinting forward with his palms crackling to life.

"You son of a bitch! I am going to _kill _you!" Bakugou screamed.

He reared back his palm and slapped it against Mori's face, sending out a huge explosion that sent Mori tumbling back, hitting the wall and collapsing to the floor.

Several others joined in to restrain him, but Izuku rushed forward to catch Shouto before he could fall. He grabbed Shouto by the elbow and carefully lowered him to the ground onto his back.

The blood spike disintegrated, adding to Shouto's own pool of blood that was rapidly spilling on the floor.

"No, no, no, no, Shouto," Izuku said, his hands hovering over Shouto's chest. "Don't do this to me. Stay with me, okay?"

Shouto coughed, and boy was it painful. Blood sputtered from his mouth and he struggled to breathe.

Ah, he's felt this before. Punctured lung.

"Shouto, look at me."

Shouto tilted his head to see Izuku staring down at him with wide, watery eyes. He was panicking, Shouto could tell, and he hated that look on Izuku's face.

Iida, Uraraka, and Momo quickly materialized by his side.

"There's too much blood!" Izuku said to them.

"Here, let me," Momo said, kneeling down and pulling gauze from her arm.

She pressed both of her hands down on Shouto's wound, and _man_, that hurt.

"We need Miss Shuuzenji!" Izuku said.

"I'll go!" Iida said, and he sprinted out of sight.

"Hurry, Iida!" Izuku called. He glanced back down at Shouto, tears leaking from his eyes. They looked like shimmering stars. "Just stay with me, okay?"

Shouto blinked up at him. "D-Don't cry, Izuku," he wheezed. "You're… You're a hero now. You need to… smile… like All Might."

Izuku shook his head. "Don't talk! Help is on the way, okay?"

Shouto huffed out a bloody breath. He knew he didn't have much time left.

Ah. He really wished he could apologize to his Izuku right now.

He supposed apologizing to this one would have to be good enough.

"Sorry, but… I don't think I'm… going to make it," he said, smiling softly at Izuku.

"No!" Izuku cried, tears spilling from his eyes. "I just got you back, Shouto! I've already lost you once, I can't lose you again!"

Shouto kept his smile and he reached up to wipe the tears from Izuku's cheeks. Izuku jumped at his touch, staring at Shouto with wide eyes.

"You… You don't need me anymore, Izuku," Shouto said. "You're… already a better hero than I could ever be."

"Shouto…" Izuku whispered.

Shouto carefully reached to his pocket, feeling around for that small plastic card that he had haphazardly shoved in there before the battle began.

Please be in there, please be in there.

Oh! There it was!

Shouto pulled out his provisional hero license, his shaking fingers gently touching the edges and thumbing over the word "HERO" on the back. He lifted it up to Izuku and pressed it to his chest.

"Take this," Shouto said. "You're… a true hero now, Izuku. You can… ugh… you can rebuild this world… and create a place where you can live… in peace."

"_Shouto_," Izuku pleaded. "Don't. Don't do this."

"Heh, you called me Shouto," Shouto said, laughing painfully. His body started to tingle. Was that a bad sign? "Did you call the other Todoroki that?"

"Shouto! You have to stay with me!" Izuku begged, tossing the card aside. "You have to—wait a minute. What's this purple smoke? Hold on… Shouto, your body! It's—"

"Sorry, Izuku. I don't… I don't think I can keep my eyes open anymore," Shouto said.

He squinted up at Izuku, who was quickly turning fuzzy. His voice was starting to fade as well, and Shouto tried to focus on Izuku's eyes.

"Shouto, don't do this!" Izuku begged. "Stay with me, Shouto!"

Ah. Green might be Shouto's favorite color.

"Don't leave, Shouto!"

Shoot, he thought as his eyes slipped closed and his world faded to black.

"Shouto!"

He never got to thank him.

* * *

_"Enough with the pleasantries. Who the hell are you?"_

_"What the hell are you? Are you some sort of clone?"_

_"So you're not our Todoroki."_

_"All of those pathetic people you call friends will be destroyed."_

_"Shouto, don't leave me!"_

_"Keep your eyes open, Shouto!"_

_"Shouto!"_

Shouto gasped as his eyes snapped open, his lungs feeling like sandpaper.

He was met with a white-tiled ceiling, and a faint beeping noise tickled his ear.

What the… Shouto thought. His body felt so heavy. Where… Where was this?

Shouto slowly pushed himself up, and winced when he felt a tug on his hand. He glanced down and saw several wires sticking out of him, and when he glanced to his lap he noticed a white blanket covering his lap.

He felt so claustrophobic all of a sudden… What was it? Ah.

A clear oxygen mask covered his face. Shouto quickly reached up to remove it and he immediately felt relief, taking in a deep, clear breath.

Once his head felt clear, he glanced around the room.

It was white, with a few chairs next to his bed and a long window that displayed the city below, all in one piece with no destruction in sight. He appeared to be in some sort of hospital, but…

Everything was quiet… and peaceful.

Was… Was he still in that world? Had he died?

What was—

Suddenly, the door to the room slid open, and Shouto's breath caught.

A poof of dark green hair—no undercut in sight— and a gray blazer with a crooked tie, tanned hands with so many scars covering them that they were disfigured, and worried green eyes that stared down at a steaming cup of coffee.

Izuku. It was Izuku.

But… he looked different. He looked…

Like his best friend.

Izuku closed the door behind him, his eyes looking tired as bags hung underneath of them, and he sighed as he looked down at his coffee.

Then, he lifted his head and glanced in Shouto's direction, his entire body freezing.

A moment passed, and then the coffee dropped from his hand.

"Sh-Shouto," Izuku said, breathless.

Shouto blinked, eyes wide. "Iz—"

He didn't have time to say his name as Izuku came barreling over to his bedside, practically tackling him as he wrapped his arms around him and pressed his face into his neck.

"Shouto, oh my gosh! You're okay, thank god!" Izuku cried.

Shouto's heart jumped inside of his chest as Izuku kept holding onto him. There was no mistaking it now.

He was back in his world.


	23. Chapter 23

Thank you for following me this entire time! You guys are awesome, and I hope you enjoy this final chapter 3

* * *

Chapter 23

* * *

The arms around his neck were shaking furiously, locking him in a tight grip that almost had him gasping for breath.

"I-Izuku," Shouto wheezed, _wheezed_. What in the world was wrong with his voice? Why did it feel like he hadn't used his voice in ages?

Izuku, meanwhile, didn't let up on his grip. He had his face buried into Shouto's neck, and he could feel his tears start to soak into his hospital gown.

"Oh my gosh, Shouto," Izuku whimpered. "I was _so worried_ that you weren't going to wake up."

Shouto blinked, staring straight ahead and seeing the bland wall in front of him. Just how long had he been asleep? What was going on? Had he been dreaming?

"Izu—" Shouto's voice caught, and he swallowed, clearing his throat as he held onto Izuku's shoulders. He lightly pushed Izuku back to see his face, seeing his cheeks soaked with tears. "Izuku, what's—"

Suddenly, Shouto felt a twinge of pain in his chest, and he winced as he reached up to touch the spot.

"Shouto? What's—Ah! Oh my gosh!" Izuku gasped.

Shouto let out a breath and glanced down at himself. He nearly let out a gasp himself when he saw a small red spot spreading from the center of his chest.

"You're bleeding again!" Izuku said, his voice shrill.

Again? Shouto wondered, pressing his hand to the spot that stung.

Izuku hopped down off of the hospital bed. "I'll go get a doctor! Just stay put—I'll be right back!"

Green sparks flashed from his calves as he hurried out the door, sending the curtains fluttering and flying along the way.

Shouto was left alone in the room, his hand touching his sticky, stinging chest. His eyes wandered around the room and then eventually down at himself. He noticed that his hair looked a little longer than usual, his bangs falling well into his line of sight and the back of his hair prickling along his ear and neck. His body also felt lighter. Had he lost weight?

His eyes traveled up to see a clipboard hanging over the edge of his bed. His lips twisted, and he reached forward to try to grab it, but the stinging in his chest made him wince and jerk back, his hands pressing against the wound.

Why did this pain feel so familiar all of a sudden? It almost felt as if he'd been… stabbed.

Shouto let out a soft gasp and pulled the hospital gown away from his body to see the wound.

It was in the exact same spot where Mori's blood spike had punctured. But it wasn't as deep. It only looked like an annoying scratch.

So it wasn't a dream, Shouto thought. Then Izuku was…

Wait.

The battle.

The other world.

_Izuku_.

What happened to all of them? Were they okay? What about Mori? Was he dead? Are they going to rebuild?

Before Shouto could descend into complete panic, the door slid open again, and Izuku, along with two nurses, walked inside. One of the nurses was a man, and he looked… eerily familiar…

"Ah, you're awake!" the male nurse said with a kind smile.

Shouto blinked several times. Where did he know him from? It felt recent… like it just occurred within the hour—

_"Give me that sample!"_

_"No. No, this isn't right! I won't let you!"_

Shouto suppressed a gasp, his eyes widening.

It was that man—the man in the lab coat who was helping Mori with all of the quirk injections. What were the chances?

"And you're bleeding," the man said with a frown. "Let's take a look at that, shall we?"

Shouto froze as he started to unbutton the gown. He swallowed down the panic and forced himself to relax.

The nurse must have seen the look on Shouto's face, and he gave him a soft smile.

"I'm Koji, one of the head nurses on staff here," the man, Koji, introduced.

Shouto breathed out softly. He remembered that he was in a different world again. This man was not the same as the other man.

Besides, even the other version of this nurse turned his back on Mori at the last second. How harmful could he be, anyway?

"Okay. Looks like another bleed. Does it hurt, Todoroki-san?" Koji asked, wiping up the blood on Shouto's chest.

Shouto's eye twitched slightly at the pain, but he shook his head in response.

"Just stings," he answered.

"Good. All of your wounds seem to be very superficial," Koji said.

Shouto looked up at him curiously. "My wounds?"

"Oh, you wouldn't have known since you were unconscious, right?" Koji asked with a light smile. "While you were out, slight injuries would randomly appear on different parts of your body. They were all just cuts and have now faded to scars, so they were nothing serious."

"It was so scary, Shouto," Izuku added, his teeth worrying his lower lip. He wiped his eyes before the tears could fall again. "I thought you were dying."

Shouto blinked a few times again, his mind trying to process the new information. He glanced down at his now bare torso and inhaled sharply.

There were several new scars all across his stomach and chest. One scar in particular looked like a knife had been plunged into his side…

Ah… They were the wounds from when he was captured at the prison. When Mori was trying to get information from him.

Shouto turned his head and glanced over his shoulder, seeing another scar on his upper back on his shoulder.

The quirk suppressant dart.

Shouto shivered. So every injury he experienced in the other world somehow transferred to this body here. But… how? What was going on?

"How… How long have I been unconscious?" Shouto asked, looking to Izuku for answers.

Izuku's hands fiddled with one another, and he bit his lip again, looking worried and sheepish.

"Shouto, you…" Izuku paused to take a breath. When he made eye contact with Izuku again, they were shimmering. "You've been unconscious for 40 days."

40 days.

_40 days?_

Shouto let out a slow breath as the pieces clicked together.

"So that's how long I was over there…" Shouto mumbled.

Izuku blinked at him, brows lifting. "Over there? Shouto, what do you mean?"

"There, I'm all done," Koji said as he finished up the bandage on Shouto's chest. "I'll go get your doctor so he can check on you. He'll be pleased to know you're awake!"

Shouto blinked tiredly at Koji and then looked to Izuku, feeling somewhat disoriented by the whole ordeal. Izuku quickly turned to Koji and bowed his head politely.

"Ah—thank you!" Izuku stuttered out.

Koji bowed back and headed towards the door, and Izuku turned back to Shouto, his forehead creasing in worry.

"Shouto, what did you mean by that?" Izuku asked. "What happened?"

Shouto paused for a moment, not really certain where to start in his entire story, but before he could get his thoughts in order, the door to his room slid open again, and Koji stopped in the doorway.

"Oh! Sir, I was just coming to get you!" Koji said with a smile. "He's awake. There was another injury to his chest, but it was superficial. I've already taken care of it."

"Thank you, Koji."

Shouto's entire body tensed as the doctor's eerie voice floated in the room. It made his skin crawl, and even goosebumps formed on his arms.

It couldn't be.

Could it?

Koji bowed in the doorway and disappeared out into the hall, and a man in a lab coat entered. He was tall, his broad shoulders shifting as he slid the door shut behind him.

Then, he turned around.

"Ah, so it's true! I'm glad you're awake!" he said. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Dr. Mori. Let's check your vitals, shall we?"

Shouto's eyes blew wide, and his hands tightened into fists. He watched the man like a hawk as he came closer to the bed and picked up the chart to read it.

It was _him_. It was Mori.

Wait… was he really back home?

"Okay. Looking pretty good," Mori said, putting the chart back down. He walked around the bed and reached for his stethoscope. He put it to his ears and leaned closer to Shouto. "Let's take a listen to those lungs."

_"Well? Are you going to tell me who you really are, yet?"_

Shouto's breath started to come in short. His chest started to hurt.

_"Or should I try to encourage you some more?"_

The stethoscope was just about to touch his chest.

_"I wonder… Who really is useless to society now?"_

Shouto gasped and jumped back from Mori before he could touch him, his arms coming up to shield his face. He could hear the heart monitor beside of him going crazy as flames and ice formed on both forearms, and he glared up at the man threateningly.

Mori jerked back, eyes wide in surprise.

"Shouto!" Izuku gasped, moving closer to him. "Hey, hey, calm down. It's okay, Shouto. He's not going to hurt you."

Right, Shouto thought. This guy just stabbed him in the chest not even 10 minutes ago.

"Sorry if I startled you," Mori said, brows scrunching sadly. He hung the stethoscope back over his neck and put up his hands. "You have nothing to worry about. I don't even have a quirk."

Shouto flinched back as Mori extended his hands towards him, showing his palms. It was too risky. This man could definitely and easily hurt him if he wanted to. He just knew it.

"He's telling the truth, Shouto. He's been your doctor the whole time you've been unconscious," Izuku said.

Shouto grit his teeth and swallowed. He could feel his limbs start to shake as he pictured that knife plunging into his side—

"Shouto."

A hand suddenly grabbed onto his, and he flinched so violently that a layer of ice covered his forearm. He glanced to his side to see Izuku looking at him seriously, his brows pinched, and his mouth set.

"I won't let anything happen, okay? I'm right here," Izuku said. "You trust me, right?"

More than anyone, Shouto thought.

He took a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders, the ice sliding off of his arm and onto the floor. After a second or two, the heart monitor slowed down, as well, and Izuku turned towards Mori and nodded.

Mori smiled and took his stethoscope back out and pressed the cold metal to Shouto's chest. He jumped slightly, his eyes looking anywhere but up at the man's face.

"Your lungs sound good," Mori said, taking away the stethoscope. "Any pain other than the wound on your chest?"

"I feel… a little drowsy, but that's all," Shouto said with a shake of his head.

Mori chuckled softly and put his hands in his pockets. "You're one tough young man. I would expect nothing less from Endeavor's son."

Shouto's eyes turned sharply upward to stare at him. He must've had a look of shock on his face because Mori laughed again and rounded the bed to look at the heart monitor.

"You seem surprised," Mori said.

Shouto swallowed.

Careful, he told himself. It could be one of his tricks.

But he felt Izuku's hand squeeze his, and he briefly looked down at their entwined hands before he took a deep breath, reorganizing his thoughts. He glanced back up to Mori, schooling his face into a more neutral position.

"You've met my father?" Shouto asked cautiously.

"Ah, yes!" Mori said. He scratched his cheek and then folded his arms across his chest. "Although it wasn't the best of meetings."

Shouto frowned and swallowed more dry air. "What do you mean?"

Mori's smile was soft and kind, so unlike the other man who had just killed him minutes before.

"It was years ago when I was in college," Mori started. "There was a villain attack on campus, and I became one of the hostages."

Shouto felt his breath catch.

_"I was about to be the first sacrifice when, in all his blaze and glory, Endeavor broke through the walls and nearly fried every villain in the room."_

The stories…

Were they…?

"But Endeavor rescued me. He rescued all of us that day," Mori said. He sighed but kept the smile on his face. "I wanted to thank him for saving my life, and I ended up telling him how I was quirkless and wanted to be a hero like him. I was a college kid, so I was still pretty naïve."

It was… similar, but not the exact wording.

Maybe it was different in this world. Maybe things would turn out better.

"But, Endeavor, being Endeavor, of course, took one look at me and said that quirkless people are useless to society," Mori said.

Ah, Shouto thought. So it _was_ the same.

His old man was an asshole in every universe, he supposed.

"I was so angry. I was ready to drop out of college and do something drastic. I even went to a shady part of town on my own because I wanted to find some villains to fight," Mori said with a laugh, rubbing his chin.

_"I went into a blind rage, quitting school and instead seeking out those who also hated the oppression that quirk users brought upon this society."_

Shouto winced. The stories were lining up perfectly so far. It was making his stomach turn and flip, and he even pressed a hand to it to try to settle it.

How could one sentence completely destroy a world?

"Wow, that could've been really dangerous!" Mori said as he shook his head. "It was a good thing All Might found me that day."

Shouto's eyes widened, his head snapping up to look Mori in the eyes.

"All Might?" Shouto echoed.

Mori nodded. "Yep. He found me before I could even find any villains in that area. I vented to him and told him everything, and he calmly explained to me how Endeavor's personality was rougher around the edges," he continued. "All Might did tell me though that while I couldn't be a hero, I could do something to help mankind as a whole."

Mori smiled at Shouto and pointed to his badge that was clipped to his white labcoat.

"So I became a doctor!"

The anxiety swirling around Shouto's mind finally dissolved, and his shoulders slumped, almost dramatically.

So he truly was back in his own world. This Mori was completely different than the other Mori. He didn't need to fear him.

"Shouto? Are you okay?" Izuku asked, worry laced in his voice.

Shouto closed his eyes and took a few moments to just _breathe_. Then, he lifted his head and nodded to Izuku.

"Yeah. Yeah, I just had to sort out my thoughts," Shouto said. "I'm… still having trouble sorting out the different worlds."

"Huh?" Izuku asked, blinking at him. "What do you mean?"

"It means his soul and mind were transferred to an alternate reality."

Shouto and Izuku glanced to the doorway to see Aizawa leaning against the doorway, his hair in disarray and his chest moving in and out softly, but quickly.

"Sensei!" Izuku called, rising out of his chair and onto his feet.

Aizawa nodded in response and then moved into the room, taking one moment to pause to look down at the spilled coffee on the floor, and then moved next to Shouto's side. He grabbed Izuku's abandoned chair and plopped down, leaving the boy to stand next to Shouto's bed.

"Glad it wasn't a false alarm. Then I would've rushed over here for nothing," Aizawa said, slumping slightly. He ran his hand through his hair. "It's good you're awake. The investigations for the woman who did this to you are almost finished up."

Shouto inhaled sharply, his thoughts drifting back to that purple-haired woman during that mission so many days ago. She was the reason he was in that whole mess in the first place.

"So? Where did she send you?" Aizawa asked, leaning forward and looking genuinely interested.

Shouto blinked a few times, trying to wrap his mind around the last few moments of his life.

Meanwhile, Izuku's mind was firing on all cylinders, his thinking face slapped on.

"Wait! So that villain didn't make Shouto go to sleep?" Izuku asked.

Aizawa shook his head. "No. She sent Todoroki into a different universe or alternate reality."

"A-Alternate reality?!" Izuku squeaked. "Those are real?! I thought those were just something in books or movies!"

"Well, we thought it was crazy, too. But the woman appears to be telling the truth," Aizawa said. He looked to Shouto next, eyes curious. "So. Where did she send you?"

Shouto swallowed and took a shaky breath. There was so much to talk about so much to describe…

But when Izuku squeezed his hand reassuringly, nodding towards him to encourage him to continue, Shouto's nerves fizzled into something more tolerable.

He glanced up at Aizawa and squeezed Izuku's hand back.

"I was in this city, but… everything was different."

* * *

When Shouto had finished telling his tale, the room was silent.

Aizawa was hunched over in his seat with his hands in front of him, thinking to himself quietly. His leg bounced softly as he processed, growing more serious by the minute.

Dr. Mori seemed incredibly disturbed, his arms folded across his chest with a particular frown on his face. It was almost as if he was grimacing in shame.

Even Izuku, who usually was a chatterbox about these sorts of things, was eerily silent. His thumbnail was pinched in between his front teeth as he tried to process Shouto's story, but he didn't even mumble, and it made Shouto feel on edge.

"I can't believe it," Mori was the first who spoke. "It was no wonder you were so afraid of me. I'm… I'm sorry for all of that. It must've looked so insensitive of me to get in your space like that."

Shouto lifted a hand and shook his head. "You don't need to apologize. It was just a misunderstanding."

"This is a lot to process. You also went through a lot of… upsetting events, it seems," Aizawa said, his eyes sliding over to Izuku. "Perhaps these are things we should discuss in private."

Izuku jumped at the insinuation and looked to Aizawa, horror written on his features.

"But, Sensei—" Izuku started.

"He can stay," Shouto said, interrupting Izuku before he could get himself kicked out.

Aizawa quirked his brow, a worried crease forming in between them. He looked ready to fight back on it, and it almost seemed that Shouto's plea would be in vain, but Aizawa then sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You brats will be the end of me," he sighed. "Fine. Midoriya can stay."

The knot in Shouto's chest loosened just a little at the news, and Izuku smiled at him.

"You realize that with everything you've told me, I'll have to set up some counseling sessions for you," Aizawa said.

Shouto felt the knot seize right back up in his gut. "Counseling? What for?"

Aizawa's brows lowered a bit. "You had some traumatic experiences, Todoroki. It's my job to make sure you're doing okay—not just physically, either."

Shouto's lips twisted, ready to resist and reject the notion, but Izuku squeezed his hand again, making him turn his head to his friend. Izuku was frowning sadly at him.

"Shouto, you… you were _tortured_," Izuku whispered softly. "I… I really think you should talk to someone about it."

There was a thick silence as their words passed into one ear and out the other. Shouto didn't want to go talk to anyone about it. He wanted to forget it and just move on with his life. Why did he have to go through all of this?

"How about I let Midoriya come with you? To the sessions, I mean," Aizawa suddenly.

Shouto blinked, the fog of his mind clearing just the slightest. He glanced at Aizawa and the man shrugged, folding his arms across his chest.

"I'd be fine with it as long as you both are," Aizawa said.

Izuku nodded immediately and then looked to Shouto for confirmation.

Well, Shouto supposed, it seemed as if he wasn't getting out of it.

"Fine," Shouto said with a huff.

Aizawa gave a brief nod and then pushed himself up from his seat. "I'll go get that paperwork started up, then."

"Ah, I can help you with that, Sensei," Mori said with a soft smile.

The two of them left the room, the door sliding shut softly.

Shouto and Izuku both sighed and sagged, exhausted and spent. Shouto hunched forward and buried his face into his hands, feeling suddenly so overwhelmed.

"Ah, are you okay?" Izuku asked, and Shouto felt a crooked hand touch his bare shoulder.

"Yeah," Shouto said with a nod. He straightened up and looked to Izuku. "Thanks. For being here."

Izuku blinked a few times and then smiled fondly. "That's what friends are for!"

Shouto paused, the words running through his mind, and then he inhaled sharply. He turned to Izuku and grabbed his arm.

"Izuku, I have to tell you something," Shouto said.

"Oh? Is everything okay?" Izuku asked, brows furrowing.

"Yeah," Shouto said. He took a deep breath and looked at Izuku in the eyes. "I want to join your agency with you."

Izuku's jaw dropped, and his eyes instantly filled with tears. He reached up to wipe away the tears and he hiccupped.

"R-Really?" Izuku asked. "Are you sure?"

Shouto smiled, and he gently rubbed Izuku's arm to comfort him. "Yeah. I'm sure."

Izuku sniffed loudly and then smiled. He laughed wetly and then pumped his fists.

"Okay! I'll have to get the paperwork in pretty soon! Ah, this is so exciting!" Izuku said. "What made you change your mind?"

Shouto glanced down at his hands in his lap, and the other Izuku's face popped into his mind. His smile faltered a bit but he quickly recovered, ignoring the painful throb in his heart.

"Just… circumstances changed, I guess," Shouto said.

Izuku nodded, looking relieved. "Well, that's good then! I'll be excited to work with you, Shouto!"

"Me, too, Izuku."

Izuku beamed and then turned towards the corner of the room. Shouto followed his gaze and saw that his hero costume was hanging on the hook on the corner.

"There's a lot of paperwork to turn in for agency requests. Is it okay if I get your license out of your costume?" Izuku asked.

"Ah, yeah that's fine," Shouto said, and then he slumped against the bed, feeling his body relax against the cushions.

"Huh… that's weird," Izuku said after a moment. "I can't find your license."

Shouto rolled his head to the side to look at him curiously. "It should be in the front pock—"

_"Take this. You're… a true hero now, Izuku. You can… ugh… you can rebuild this world… and create a place where you can live… in peace."_

"Oh," Shouto hummed, cutting himself short. "So it disappeared from this world, too, huh?"

"Eh? What are you talking about?" Izuku asked, looking bewildered.

Shouto shook his head, feeling that prick on his heart turn into a heavy throb.

What was this feeling?

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Shouto slowly recovered from his month-long nap. He started his therapy sessions and attended extra classes during the weekends to make up for lost time. He was working himself nearly to the point of exhaustion.

Izuku insisted that Shouto take a break, and he told Shouto that he would wait to start their agency if Shouto wanted to take a year off of school to recover. He was getting concerned, as were all of Shouto's classmates.

But Shouto soldiered on, telling them that it wasn't much to deal with. He needed to graduate on time, after all.

"You're being too hard on yourself, man," Kirishima said, and it was jarring to Shouto to see that red hair on top of his head. He was so unlike the other Kirishima he met in the other world: timid, black hair that covered his eyes, nervous.

"Yes, I agree. I would highly recommend that you relax and take a break, Todoroki!" Iida said, his arms moving in a chopping motion.

Izuku fidgeted next to them, his hands wrenching the strap of his bag as he stared down at Shouto with the same worried look on his face. His cheeks were red from holding his breath, fighting back the urge to speak up.

Shouto glanced back down at his homework on his desk and continued to write.

"It's okay. There's still a lot I need to do," Shouto said.

"Just… don't wear yourself out just because you want to graduate on time, okay?" Izuku said. "I'll wait for you, you know."

Shouto smiled, genuinely and fondly. "I know."

As his friends cleared the classroom, Shouto glanced back down at his work on his desk and sighed, his shoulders feeling tense. It was true that Shouto wanted to graduate on time, but it wasn't his true motivation behind keeping himself so busy all of the time.

He couldn't tell Izuku that he was doing all of this work so he could distract himself from thoughts of the other world.

Shouto found that when he wasn't working or sleeping, his mind would drift to the other world.

Was it rebuilt? Were they okay? Did Mori come back?

But more than that, Shouto found himself thinking of the other Izuku.

Was he eating properly?

Did he reunite with his parents?

Was he okay?

Was he okay?

_Was he okay?_

It consumed him at every free moment he had, and it was starting to wear on him. But he couldn't tell the others this. There was no real way to even talk to them about it. Not really, anyway.

So Shouto bit down on his tongue and concentrated on his studies, trying to push thoughts of the other world back into the recesses of his mind.

* * *

"Why must you all become problem children? Right before graduation?"

Shouto blinked as he stood stiffly in front of Aizawa's desk. He watched as his teacher rubbed his temples and leaned back in his chair.

"Um… Sensei?" Shouto asked, a question in his voice.

Aizawa sighed and slumped forward, staring up at him.

"Midoriya tells me that you've been overworking yourself," Aizawa said.

Shouto pursed his lips and averted his eyes, his hand gripping the strap of his bag.

"I'm trying to catch up," Shouto said. "If I get behind, then—"

"This isn't about graduating on time, is it?" Aizawa asked, interrupting Shouto.

Shouto jolted, nearly swallowing his tongue.

The ache in his chest was back in full force.

"I didn't think so," Aizawa said. "You've been distracted for a while. And while your grades haven't suffered, you've been withdrawn."

Shouto paused, his eyes looking away.

Don't think about it.

Just push it away.

"It seems to have started when you woke up from being in the other world…"

Shouto's breath hitched, his eyes widening. Aizawa's brow lifted curiously.

"I see. So it has to do with the other world," Aizawa said. "You're going to the counseling sessions, aren't you?"

Shouto frowned and nodded tightly. "I haven't missed a day."

"Then what's the problem?" Aizawa asked. His sentence seemed harsh but Shouto could see the genuine concern in his eyes. "I'm trying to help you here, Todoroki. But if you don't tell me what's wrong, then I can't do anything to make it better."

"It's…" Shouto stuttered, feeling that ache in his chest coming back and squeezing his heart. His voice trailed off, right along with his train of thought. He couldn't wrap his mind around his feelings, and that was something that he struggled with during the therapy sessions.

Aizawa studied him carefully, taking a few moments to just observe Shouto's reactions. Then, he sat up straight and looked Shouto in the eye.

"Todoroki, do you miss the people in the other world?"

Shouto's heart jumped as he stared back at Aizawa, feeling his hands start to tremble with his quirk.

He missed them?

Was _that _the feeling that made him sick to his stomach?

"I see," Aizawa said after watching all of the different emotions flitter across Shouto's face. He sighed and stood up from his seat. "Todoroki, it's okay to feel this way. You were over there for a long time."

Shouto winced. "But… What if they didn't rebuild? What if there was another uprising?"

Aizawa clapped a hand on Shouto's shoulder. "Don't get yourself worked up over it. Focus on being back here, in _this _world. Your friends need you here, too, you know."

"Friends…" Shouto echoed. "Mmn. Yeah."

Aizawa was right. He didn't have the time or energy to spend wondering if the others were going to be okay. He trusted that the other world's Izuku could handle it.

Right?

"Tell your therapist about this," Aizawa said. Shouto went to protest, possibly forming a lie on his tongue, but Aizawa beat him to the punch. "And don't say you've already talked about it. It's obvious you didn't."

Shouto clicked his mouth shut and breathed deeply. "Yes, sir."

"Good," Aizawa said. "You can go."

Shouto bowed his head and started to leave the room, his hand on the door.

"Oh, and Todoroki," Aizawa called, making Shouto pause to look back at him. "It wouldn't hurt to rely on a friend about this, either. Maybe take that into consideration."

Izuku's face was the first to pop into Shouto's mind, but he pushed the thought away. There was no way he could talk to Izuku about missing another version of himself.

"I'll… think about it," Shouto said.

Aizawa nodded. "Good. Now go on, don't be late for your next class."

Shouto bowed his head and then headed out, closing the door softly. He took a slow, deep breath through his nose and then let it all out in a quick sigh.

He had to put all of this behind him in some way or another.

But… would time heal all wounds?

Shouto wasn't sure, but he supposed patience would have to be his best friend for the time being.

* * *

Graduation day finally came, much to everyone's relief.

Everyone looked lovely with their blazers shining and diplomas in their hands. Several of the girls were holding flowers, crying as their parents hugged them tight. Even Jirou was teary-eyed, which surprised Shouto to see.

It was… peaceful, Shouto decided. Not so exciting, since they had so much work to do from here on out, but it was a relaxing atmosphere. The calm before the storm.

But, Shouto couldn't shake the strange pressure in his chest— something heavy that weighed down his entire body. As he gazed over the crowd of his classmates, he felt that something was wrong, or missing. It was a painful feeling that was beginning to eat him up inside.

Iida was standing off to the side with his family, sputtering as his brother dragged him down into a headlock.

_"We're all like a family here, after all. We look out for one another."_

Bakugou was nearby as well, but was glaring as his father attempted to take a picture of him and his mother.

_"Hah? You stalkin' me or something, Clone?"_

There was Tsuyu, too, her parents and siblings happily holding her close.

_"I made some soup. Would you like some, ribbit?"_

Izuku, of course, was a sobbing mess as his mother and All Might smothered him in tight hugs.

_"I've already lost you once, I can't lose you again!"_

_"Shouto, stay with me!"_

_"Shouto!"_

"Shouto?"

He startled, jerking when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. He whipped around to see Izuku standing behind him, his eyes gentle and concerned.

"Whoa, hey," Izuku said, putting up his hand. "You okay? I saw you standing here by yourself, looking a little… out of it."

Shouto took in a deep breath, shaking himself back into reality. He nodded once and put his hand to his chest to try to rub the pain away.

"Yeah. Just… overwhelmed, I guess," Shouto said, surprising himself.

Izuku nodded, giving him a sympathetic smile. "I'm pretty exhausted by the day's events, too." He glanced around, his smile turning sheepish. "Is your family…"

"They… couldn't make it," Shouto said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"O-Oh," Izuku said, looking sad all of a sudden. "That's… Shouto, I'm so sorry."

"It's not a big deal."

Shouto waved him off. It really wasn't that big of a deal. His father had hero work to do, and his siblings were all busy with work. His mother… well, she wasn't feeling well.

It was normal to feel this way, Shouto thought. Being alone wasn't a problem.

Ugh. He could hear Aizawa's voice telling him how that was the wrong way of thinking. _'Be honest with yourself,'_ Aizawa had told him one day after his therapy session. _'The only way you can feel more comfortable with yourself and all of this is to accept your feelings. Stop lying to yourself and others. You're not doing anyone any favors.'_

Shouto suppressed a sigh. Why does his voice have to pop in his head _now_ of all times?

He wasn't even their teacher anymore, technically. So… maybe he could push his suggestions to the side for a bit. He could put this off.

He could, dammit.

"Well," Izuku started, pulling Shouto from his thoughts, "I'll keep you company. And so will the rest of the class," Izuku said. "We don't leave anyone behind, right?"

Shouto's heart twinged.

_"Well, someone told me once that we don't leave anyone behind."_

Shouto sighed and nodded, giving him a tight smile. "Right."

His heart was _aching._

Izuku didn't seem to notice his inner turmoil— if he did, he didn't say anything— and he smiled at Shouto as he walked back over to his family.

"Let's have dinner later, Shouto. To celebrate!" Izuku said. "Because starting tomorrow, we've got a lot of work to do. Right, partner?"

The ache in his chest, while still painful, lessened just a fraction.

He managed a smile, one that was genuine and fond.

"Right."

* * *

_1 year later…_

* * *

"Hero Deku, Hero Shouto, will you give us a comment on the recent attacks to our capital?"

"Ah, sorry! We're not supposed to say. It's still pretty confidential."

"Oh, c'mon! Just a word? How about you, Hero Shouto?"

"No comment."

Shouto and Izuku pushed through the crowd of reporters and entered their agency building, both covered in dirt and grime from fighting a gnarly group of bandits just outside the capital building. There were several injuries to bystanders, but fortunately, there were no deaths.

They walked by the front desk, Izuku leaning over the side to talk to the receptionist.

"Any messages?" Izuku asked her.

"No, nothing for today, Deku!" she said happily. "Oh, but there is a man here to see Shouto."

Shouto blinked and tilted his head at her. "For me?"

"Yes. He's sitting right over there," she said, gesturing towards the corner of the entrance.

They turned their heads in that direction and then blinked.

Aizawa was sitting on a chair with his arms folded across his chest and his head tilted downward slightly in a light snoozing position.

"Ah, Aizawa-sensei?" Izuku said.

"What does he want to speak with me about?" Shouto asked.

The receptionist shrugged. "Didn't say. Just said he wanted to talk."

Shouto glanced at Izuku, who shrugged, and then they walked up to Aizawa.

"Ah, Sensei," Izuku called.

Aizawa blinked awake and then glanced up at them, eyeing them both with scrutiny.

"I'm not your Sensei anymore," Aizawa said from behind his scarf. "Just call me Aizawa."

"Aizawa," Shouto called instead. "I heard you needed to speak with me?"

Aizawa blinked a few times before pushing himself up onto his feet. He reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out a file, handing it over to Shouto.

"Since you're officially a hero now, I can give you these sorts of things," Aizawa said.

"Is… this a case file?" Shouto asked, opening it up.

"Yep. And you should recognize her," Aizawa said.

Her?

Shouto's eyes widened as a mug shot of the purple-haired woman stared back at him.

"This…" Izuku started.

"It's the villain who sent me to the other world," Shouto finished.

"Correct," Aizawa said. "After a year, she finally spoke about her situation. It seems that there was more to her than just being in a group of robbers."

Shouto frowned, glancing at Izuku briefly before looking back to Aizawa.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Aizawa reached forward and flipped a page of the file, revealing a sparkling picture of the purple-haired woman standing with two young children. Both children had purple hair…

"It seems she was forced to rob that bank because a villain had her kids and was threatening their lives," Aizawa explained.

"Wha—That's terrible!" Izuku exclaimed.

"It is. But her kids are safe. They've been found," Aizawa said.

Shouto released a breath, not realizing he was even holding it in the first place. He glanced up at Aizawa with a questioning look on his face.

"What does this have to do with me?" Shouto asked, handing the file back to Aizawa.

Aizawa took the file from him and tucked it under his arm. "She still committed the crime, so she has to serve some time for it, but a judge is willing to try to lessen her sentence."

"And… you want me to help somehow?" Shouto asked.

"Well… she's willing to use her quirk for good. This time, anyway," Aizawa said.

Shouto sucked in a sharp breath.

_Izuku._

"Wait a minute. Are you saying that she should use her quirk on Shouto again?" Izuku asked.

Aizawa shrugged and looked to Shouto for guidance. "It's up to him. She can pinpoint exactly where you need to go and schedule your return."

Shouto looked at him curiously. It was a chance to go back. A chance to see if the other world was truly okay.

A chance to see Izuku again.

"I'll do it," Shouto said.

"What?!" Izuku shouted. "You can't! This is so dangerous, Shouto! She's a _criminal."_

"I know. But…" Shouto clenched his fists. "I _have_ to know, Izuku. It's… It's driving me crazy."

Izuku frowned, his hand coming up to touch Shouto's arm. "Shouto, I… I'm so sorry. Why didn't you tell me you were struggling so much?"

"Because he's stubborn," Aizawa said gruffly. "Now, are we going to do this, or not? I've got plenty of other people that can help me here."

Shouto turned to Izuku and touched his hand. "I need to do this, Izuku. Please."

Izuku paused, looking torn as his teeth worried his lower lip. Then, he relented with a sigh and a shake of his head.

"Fine. But I'm coming with you," Izuku said. "And if she hurts you, I _swear_, I will knock her teeth out."

"Sheesh, so violent," Aizawa said. "Go change out of those disgusting costumes and clean up. I'll be in my car."

And with that, Aizawa headed through the front doors, leaving Shouto and Izuku standing back in the lobby. They exchanged nervous glances before hurrying to the elevator to reach their offices.

"Well… that was unexpected," Izuku said.

"Mmn," Shouto hummed. "But, I guess this could be a good thing, though."

Izuku eyed him carefully. "Just… be careful, okay? You have no idea how… terrified we all were when day after day, you just didn't wake up." He folded his arms across his chest. "I thought I lost my best friend."

Shouto winced and reached over to touch Izuku's shoulder. "I'll be careful. And you won't lose me. I promise."

Izuku paused, and then looked away in a huff. "I meant what I said back there. About her teeth."

"I'm well aware."

"Then take me more seriously!"

"I am."

"Shouto!"

* * *

They arrived at the prisons in haste, Aizawa flashing his hero's license to some guards. A head guard walked them down to the elevators that led them to a lower floor.

After walking for what seemed like forever, they arrived at a large holding room. The woman was already inside, her hands cuffed to the table and her eyes looking forlorn.

Shouto swallowed. His stomach was fluttering with nerves. He was unsure if it was fear or excitement. It was almost making him sick.

"She already knows that she'll be using her quirk on someone, but she doesn't know who. So you may have to explain yourself to her," Aizawa said.

Shouto nodded. "Okay."

They entered into the room, Izuku sticking close to Shouto's side, and stopped in front of the table. The woman looked up at them, her eyes widening when they landed on Shouto.

"Prisoner #348, quirk: Rift. So here's the deal. This young man wants to go to a certain alternate universe. If you get him there in the time limit that _he agrees to_, then we will lessen your sentence," the guard explained to her.

"No funny business," Aizawa cut in. "If doesn't wake up in the time allotted, then there will be consequences. Do I make myself clear?"

She nodded, keeping her focus on Shouto.

Izuku grabbed Shouto's hand and gave it a quick squeeze, and Shouto squeezed back in thanks. He moved to the table and stood in front of it, peering down at the woman.

"I don't know if you remember me, but we met last year," Shouto said.

The woman nodded. "I didn't forget you," she said. "I remember you very clearly."

Shouto's eyes widened a bit. "So… would you be able to send me back to that same universe?"

The woman nodded. "I can."

Shouto's heart nearly burst. He glanced back to Izuku for more reassurance, and thankfully his friend was standing firmly, giving him a determined nod. He let out another breath, trying to ease his jittering heart.

"Then, I'd like to go back to that universe," Shouto said.

The woman nodded, looking carefully at Aizawa and the guards next to her. Then, she glanced back at Shouto.

"How long would you like to stay?" she asked.

Shouto bit the inside of his cheek and pondered the idea. He shouldn't stay too long, especially if the world had returned back into decay. But… he needed enough time to find Izuku in case that would happen.

"Give me… 24 hours," Shouto asked, feeling his heart squeeze. It didn't feel like enough time, but he would have to make it work. If he went any longer, there was no telling what could happen.

The woman nodded. "Okay. Come close so I can locate the world for you."

Shouto glanced back at Izuku, who nodded again at him, giving him a soft smile.

"We'll be here when you wake up, okay?" Izuku said. Aizawa nodded along, too, and Shouto felt a bit touched at the sentiment.

With a final deep breath, Shouto moved to the other side of the table and dipped his head, allowing the woman to reach up and touch his head with her hands. She inhaled deeply and purple smoke began to lift from her hands.

And then, in a small voice, she whispered_, "Go."_

Shouto's body seized up, his vision going fuzzy. He felt his body go limp as he crumbled to the floor.

"Shouto!"

Ah, he could hear Izuku's voice again.

He really didn't want to do this to anyone ever again.

He would swear it.

"Come back to us safely and in one peace, okay?"

Yeah, Shouto thought as his vision faded to black. I promise, Izuku.

* * *

A bright, blue sky greeted him when he awoke.

Shouto blinked a few times, feeling that familiar grogginess in his body. It felt heavier than usual, just like last time, and if felt as if he was sinking into the pavement, just like last time.

He pushed himself up and onto his wobbling legs, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the harsh sunlight.

Okay. Where exactly was he?

Stumbling down the street, he glanced up and around. The buildings looked somewhat intact, some cracks in the exterior but overall still together. The roads were paved as best as they possibly could be, and even a few cars whizzed down them. There were a few pedestrians walking on the sidewalks with their children, looking mostly cheerful.

Shouto swallowed. Was this the right place? It seemed so… different. The buildings didn't look the best, but most of them were intact.

Was this really the world that was nearly destroyed a year ago?

"Ah, sorry! Coming through!"

Suddenly, something flew by Shouto's head, and a man with giant eagles wings was flying into the air and carrying what looked like a few 2x4's.

More people with quirks whizzed by—all carrying tools, or lumber. Shouto watched them go by in amazement, watching as they seemed determined to get somewhere.

He watched a man walk by with a few buckets of paint in his hands, and Shouto managed to snag his shoulder before he could get too far.

"Um, sorry, but could you tell me why you all are carrying building tools?" Shouto asked.

The man smiled brightly at him. "Ah, we're rebuilding one of the schools that got destroyed in the battle last year," he said. "Don't tell me you don't know about Mori?"

Shouto's heart nearly broke a rib with how hard it pounded against his chest.

"Mori? You mean president Mori?" Shouto asked.

The man nodded. "Yes. He was finally taken into custody after the long battle," he said. "It's taken us a long time to rebuild, but we're at our last building!"

Shouto hesitated. "You said it was a school, right?"

"Not just any school!" he said brightly. "We're rebuilding UA!"

Shouto's eyes shot wide.

Izuku.

Izuku would be there.

"I've gotta go!" Shouto said, hurrying off in the direction of the school. "Thank you!"

The man waved him off, and Shouto ran as fast as he could to get to the site of the UA building. If it were Izuku, he would rebuild the school in its original foundations, right? Shouto could only hope.

Luckily, it seemed he was right as there were several other people gathered with wood, tools, beams… everything. And they were all using their quirks to help build it.

Shouto walked around the crowd of people, his head swiveling back and forth in search of his missing friend.

"Izuku!" Shouto called. "Hey, Izuku! Are you here?"

There was no response, so Shouto got closer to the construction site, even daring to go beyond the orange borders so he could get a closer look.

"Izuku!" Shouto called. "Izuku! It's me, Shouto! I've come back!"

There was still no response, and Shouto felt his stomach sink. He didn't have much time to find him. Only 24 hours, or less than that, now.

What if he couldn't find him?

What if he moved away or moved on to something else?

What if… What if something bad happened to him?

"Ah! Help!"

Shouto's heart pounded and he whirled around towards the sound, his heroic instincts shining through.

Across the way, someone had pushed a woman to the ground and made off with her purse. The perpetrator ran down the road, using some sort of quirk that allowed him to use wind to push himself faster.

Shouto grit his teeth and then took off after him, creating ice in front of him to skate on. He tried to push himself forward with the ice, even using some of his heat to make it slicker.

But the thief was getting away fast, his body nearly out of sight.

Damn, Shouto thought. He still had to work on his speed!

He thought of his old man, going back to using one of his own styles. Begrudgingly, Shouto took in a deep breath and then pushed his left hand behind him, letting out a massive fireball that acted like a jet engine, propelling him forward.

There, Shouto thought as he closed in on the thief.

Just a few more feet…

Shouto reached out to grab his collar.

Almost… there…

His fingers touched the man's shirt.

There!

Shouto was just about to released ice to cover him, but with a flick of his wrist, the man propelled wind back at Shouto, gaining some distance between them in the process.

"Damn it," Shouto muttered.

If only he had speed! He really should have listened to Izuku when he scolded him about practicing his speed. Damn it, damn it! Why was he so stubborn!

He really wished Izuku were here.

_Rumble…_

Shouto gasped, the short hairs on the back of his neck standing up as tingles shot down his spine. He heard a familiar crackle, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a spark of green, flashing brilliantly in the air.

The force whizzed by him in an instant, and a short figure dove on the purse snatcher's back, throwing him to the ground and pinning him down.

Shouto slid to a stop, panting a bit and focusing his breathing so he could regulate his temperature. His heart kept pounding away, though, and the reason was standing just one yard away from him.

A mop of green hair on top of his head, along with his signature undercut that framed his ears just right. A dark green suit that hugged his figure, and hands that were clean from scars.

A year. It had been an entire year since Shouto had seen these features, and he still remembered them clear as day.

But would he remember?

Would this Izuku remember everything they'd gone through just a year ago?

"You don't have to fight for this, you know?" Izuku was speaking to the thief, taking the purse from his hands.

And as soon as Shouto heard his voice, he immediately knew it was him. He couldn't see his face since he was still facing the other direction, but Shouto didn't need to see him to know who he was.

"We're all trying to help each other, remember?" Izuku asked the thief.

The thief looked woozy—probably from Izuku's hit—and he let his head fall against the pavement, out cold.

Izuku sighed and shook his head, and Shouto put a hand on his hip, smiling proudly.

"Nice takedown. I see you're getting used to being a hero," Shouto said.

Izuku jumped at the sound, his shoulders tensing. Slowly and hesitantly, Izuku's head swiveled around, and Shouto was met with those same pair of wide, green eyes.

The recognition was crystal clear in his eyes. Izuku knew exactly who he was. He remembered everything.

They stood like that for a moment until Izuku's eyes filled with tears, several of them spilling out and down his cheeks. Shouto smiled fondly at him, shaking his head softly.

Izuku frowned at himself, unable to hold back the tears, but he scrambled for something in his pocket, pulling it out and holding it up with a watery smile.

Shouto's eyes widened.

In Izuku's hand was his old provisional hero license.

"You kept it," Shouto said.

"Yes," Izuku said, wiping away a tear. "I used it as a reminder to keep working hard to rebuild this place."

Izuku sniffled and looked at Shouto with a crooked smile, his green eyes shining. He looked like a completely different person to when Shouto first met him.

_"Enough with pleasantries. Who the hell are you?"_

It was such a big difference now, and Shouto was so, _so_ proud.

"Well, you did good work here, Izuku," Shouto said. "This place will back to its peaceful self in no time."

Izuku's eyes filled with more tears as his smile slipped from his face, sobs started to make his shoulders jump.

He dropped the license to the ground and leaped towards Shouto, wrapping his arms around his back and sending them both tumbling to the ground with a thud.

"I've missed you, Shouto," Izuku whimpered. "I've missed having you here so much."

Shouto smiled and patted down the soft hairs on Izuku's head, holding him close.

"I've missed you, too," Shouto said. "And you've got me for a whole 24 hours."

Izuku whipped up his head to look at him. "That's it?!"

Shouto shrugged. "I didn't want to make it too long. I'm still needed back home."

Izuku nodded, wiping his face from the tears and then he looked to Shouto with urgency in his eyes.

"Then, we have no time to waste!" he said, standing to his feet.

"Why not?" Shouto asked.

Izuku grabbed onto Shouto's hand and started to tug him down the road back towards the construction site.

"I've got to give you a tour of our new city!" Izuku said.

Shouto smiled. "I'd love that."

"Good. And I know exactly what to show you first!" Izuku said.

"Oh? And what's that?"

Izuku pointed to the taller building in the city, his face grinning with all of his sparkling teeth.

"Our new hero's agency!" he said. He looked to Shouto with a smirk. "You willing to join me part-time?"

Shouto paused and then huffed out a laugh, feeling Izuku squeeze his wrist.

Ah, Shouto thought. What a relief.

The ache in his chest was gone.

"Add me to your roster," Shouto said. "I'll be back when I can."

* * *

~The End~


End file.
